Manchester United are interested in signing Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins this summer.
The Red Devils are keen to add a striker to their ranks after a dismal season in front of goal last year.
United have shown interest in Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres but a deal looks complicated as he seemingly prefers a move to Arsenal.
Ruben Amorim’s side have also been linked to the likes of Hugo Ekitike and Victor Osimhen but both deals seem difficult from a financial standpoint.
As a result, United may need to look at different options and one potential avenue is Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins.
Spanish outlet Fichajes report that “while Manchester United continues to explore the market for a reliable striker, one name is starting to gain traction at Old Trafford: Ollie Watkins.”
The England international is said to have appeared on United’s radar as his role at Villa has diminished slightly over the course of the previous season.
The report states that, “the loss of prominence, coupled with unclear technical decisions by Unai Emery, could have sown doubts in the striker’s mind about his continued presence in Birmingham.”
As a result, Watkins is now a “dark horse” to be playing in the famous red shirt next season.
Nonetheless, at 29 years old and a deal that runs to 2028, it is said that Villa would only sell for a “convincing offer”.
Still, Watkins would likely cost less than the likes of Gyokeres and previously linked players, so it is said United may revisit a deal for him if more expensive deals run into complications.
The Spanish outlet concludes, “he’s not the signing that will make headlines, but his impact could be immediate. With experience and a goal-scoring instinct, Watkins is emerging as the ‘dark horse’ who could become key to United’s new project.”
He was in sensational form last season, scoring 17 goals and providing 14 assists in 54 matches for the Villans.
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Alex Browne
Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.
