Arsenal and Manchester United have remained in touch with Aston Villa regarding Ollie Watkins, according to reports.
The two teams have put the England international high on their list of striker targets and GiveMeSport claim that both sides have made “fresh” enquiries about signing the player.
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Watkins still has just under three years left on his contract at Villa Park so the Midlands club won’t let him leave on the cheap.
After the Gunners tabled a £40m bid during the January transfer window, they were told to increase their offer to £60m, and the forward’s valuation is believed to be still the same this summer.
Watkins has been praised for his performances by his manager, Unai Emery. Speaking back in March, the Spaniard said:
“He’s amazing because he’s a really hard worker, and his commitment to work every day is amazing. When he is scoring goals, it’s the main objective he can have. Where he is assisting as well, he’s contributing to help the team. But even when he’s not doing both, he’s working for the team.”
Watkins is not Arsenal’s top target
Mikel Arteta’s side have not looked to head off interest from United and table a bid for the 29-year-old because they are still are hoping to land one of two alternatives.
RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres are the players in question. Sporting director Andrea Berta has spoken to the respective teams about signing their players but discussions are not believed to be at an advanced stage.
Why haven’t the club purchased either Sesko or Gyokeres?
In terms of Sesko, Arsenal simply don’t agree with Leipzig’s asking price. They were hoping pay for around €70m (£60m) for the Slovenian international but he could cost north of €80m (£69m), with the money needed to be paid up front, rather than instalments, as well.
The situation is slightly different with Gyokeres. The Gunners are keeping their counsel and waiting to see if a dispute between Sporting and the player’s agents can be resolved.
As has been widely reported, Gyokeres’s representatives believe they have a gentleman’s agreement whereby the striker would be sold for €70m (£60m). At the moment, Sporting want €80m (£69m).
In other news, we’ve asked AI to predict what would happen if Arsenal sign Eberechi Eze