Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa shoots whilst surrounded by players of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Aston Villa FC at Old Trafford on May 25, 2025 in Manchester, England.Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa shoots whilst surrounded by players of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Aston Villa FC at Old Trafford on May 25, 2025 in Manchester, England.
Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa shoots whilst surrounded by players of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Aston Villa FC at Old Trafford on May 25, 2025 in Manchester, England. | Getty Images
Manchester United are facing a small summer transfer budget after missing out on Europa League football
Manchester United will need to be shrewd in the summer transfer market as no European football means they have a smaller budget compared to previous years.
Ruben Amorim had hoped to qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League but the Red Devils lost a narrow final 1-0 to Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Man Utd should propose swap deal with Aston Villa to sign Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa have been linked with United forward Alejandro Garnacho in the last week, with the Argentinian star falling out of favour under Amorim. The 20-year-old came out publicly after the Europa League final to express his annoyance at not starting the game.
Garnacho was then left out of the final fixture of the season as United beat Villa 2-0 at Old Trafford. He has been told by Amorim that he will be allowed to leave this summer but given their financial situation they will not let him go cheaply.
However, one avenue both clubs could explore is a swap deal with Garnacho heading to Birmingham and striker Ollie Watkins heading the other way to bolster United’s options at striker.
Why Ollie Watkins could leave Aston Villa
Watkins is under contract with the Villa Park outfit until 2028 but was the subject of a failed £60m bid from Arsenal in January. The England international expressed unhappiness with being a substitute in both legs of the club’s Champions League quarter final against Paris Saint-Germain.
He said: "I am not going to lie, I was fuming that I wasn't playing - I let him [Unai Emery] know that. He's the manager, you have to respect his decision, [but] I am not one of these players happy to sit on the bench. It is something I have not experienced before, to miss out on the biggest stage.”
It was then revealed by Jamie Carragher on the Overlap in April that Villa actually offered Watkins to Arsenal rather than the Gunners coming forward with the bid.
“When we talk about Arsenal going for Ollie Watkins, someone told me that Aston Villa offered him to Arsenal - I know that," said Carragher. "I don’t think it was Arsenal phoning Villa saying they want to sign him.
"Arsenal didn’t sign him because they didn’t offer a lot of money. They offered around £50 million. However, this is the information I had. If I know that then I’m sure his agent knows that.”
While Watkins would have to give up Europa League football to make the move to United, he may feel slighted by how things have gone for him over the last six months. His annoyance at being a substitute was clear but he would certainly be one of the first names in the starting XI at Old Trafford.
If Watkins does move, United are getting a proven Premier League striker that will help solve their lack of goals while Villa will get a young, dynamic forward who at the age of 20 has plenty of potential. Garnacho may also look to Marcus Rashford’s form at Villa Park and feel it is the right fit for him.
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