Aston Villa are now dark horses in the race for an "amazing" striker, after recently opening talks over a deal, and there is a feeling he would be keen on the move.
Villa keen on new striker after Watkins' slow start
The new Premier League campaign is still at a very early stage, but it would be fair to say Ollie Watkins hasn't exactly hit the ground running, having failed to score in his opening three games, most recently struggling against Crystal Palace.
The 29-year-old missed one big chance and had just 24 touches of the ball in the 3-0 home defeat against the Eagles, the second-lowest number of any Villa starter.
As such, Unai Emery may be tempted to play Evann Guessand in a central role against Everton on Saturday, while there have also been reports that the Villans could look to bring in a new centre-forward during the January transfer window.
Earlier this week, it emerged that Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta is a target for Emery's side, and there has since been another update on their pursuit of the striker.
According to a report from TEAMtalk, Aston Villa are now dark horses in the race for Mateta, who is thought to be excitied over the idea of a move to Villa Park, given the centre-forward's ambitions of playing in Europe.
In fact, talks have already been opened with Palace intermediaries, with Villa trying to gauge whether it will be possible to get a deal done this January.
jean-philippe-mateta-crystal-palace
That said, it could be difficult to get the move over the line, given that Oliver Glasner's side have little interest in sanctioning a departure, and they could demand upwards of £60m+ if the striker is tied down to a new deal.
"Amazing" Mateta has earned move to Europa League club
Palace will be disappointed not to be playing in the Europa League themselves this season, missing out due to issues surrounding multi-club ownership, but the 28-year-old has earned the opportunity to test himself in the competition.
Over the past two seasons, the former Mainz striker has been particularly impressive, maintaining a fantastic goal and assist record in the Premier League.
Season PL appearances Goal contributions
2023-24 35 22
2024-25 37 16
Glasner also clearly holds his first-choice centre-forward in high regard, saying last season: "With his two goals today, he is amazing in the box. He has the feeling that a number nine must have in the box. He makes so many runs where he doesn't get the ball. You need to suffer as a striker because you make so many runs where you don't get the ball. He gets the reward and it decides the game for us."
Emery will be hoping the likes of Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott can make an impact going forward, but if the manager still feels a striker is required in January, Mateta could be a fantastic option.