Man Utd and Arsenal agree on Ollie Watkins concern as huge transfer issue emerges

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has been linked with a summer move, with Arsenal and Manchester United both linked, but he could yet see himself staying where he is

Manchester United are keen on signing Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins this summer – but the club are reluctant to overpay for a player who turns 30 in December. And Arsenal had the same concerns before pulling out of the race to sign the England international.

The Gunners explored a move for Watkins in January, but decided over the summer that Viktor Gyokeres was the answer to their needs up front. United have also looked at whether they might be able to land the forward, but are some way from an agreement.

According to reports from The Athletic back in May, the Gunners’ new sporting director Andrea Berta was unconvinced by the prospect of paying north of £40million for a player of Watkins’ age. Joao Pedro and Hugo Ekitike were mentioned as potential alternatives at the time, though both have since joined different Premier League clubs.

United are ready to pay a little more than that, with Mirror Football revealing that they hope they can agree a deal of £40-£45m, but it’s still less than the £60m Villa are after. Ruben Amorim wants a proven striker to lead the line at Old Trafford, but the asking price is considered too steep.

As an alternative, Amorim’s side have spoken to Villa about the possibility of including Alejandro Garnacho in a player-plus-cash deal. Villa took Marcus Rashford on loan from United for the second half of last season, and Garnacho could yet fill the gap left by Rashford’s decision to spend the upcoming season at Barcelona.

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In five Premier League seasons, Watkins has scored 75 league goals for Villa. His best return came in the 2023-24 season, when he bagged 19 in the league and 27 in all competitions.

He finished last season with 16 in the league as Villa narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification. No United player ended up with more than eight.

United have been in the United States for their pre-season responsibilities, earning a win against West Ham during the Premier League Summer series. After that victory, boss Amorim said he had yet to decide on his preferred XI for the league opener against Arsenal in mid-August.

“It’s a strong team and we need to prepare all the players, and we don’t have a lot of weeks or a lot of games to prepare all the team,” Amorim said. “That can change, you saw in the second half, there are players who can play in the first game. It’s not a decision I made already.”

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