MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 25: Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Aston Villa FC at Old Trafford on May 25, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Manchester United have been quite determined to sign a new striker this summer. It looks like Ruben Amorim doesn’t want to go into the new season with Rasmus Hojlund as the only number nine in his ranks.
The Old Trafford outfit have been trying to sign Benjamin Sesko. The club is in negotiations with RB Leipzig for the Slovenian number nine and Newcastle United are also in the mix.
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Now, as per The Sun, Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is willing to secure a transfer to Old Trafford this summer, should the club fail to land Sesko.
The 29-year-old Englishman has been a star at Villa Park for a few seasons now. He is very experienced and has the quality to lead the line for a club of Man Utd’s stature.
The report has mentioned that Villa are ready to let go of the striker for a fee of around £40m-£50m. That would be a bargain for the kind of quality that Watkins brings to the table.
Man Utd’s priority seems to be Sesko at the moment. However, it would make more sense for the Red Devils to go ahead and sign the 29-year-old as he is in the prime years of his career.
What Watkins would also offer is the ability to be a mentor to Hojlund. The Dane is undoubtedly talented and has the quality to become a top striker in England and all he needs is some guidance.
One more thing that Watkins could offer, over Sesko, is that he might not need a period of adaptation considering he has spent so much time in England.
It remains to be seen how the club goes about this conundrum and who they settle for as their new number nine, eventually.