Man United told to ‘pay through the roof’ for Aston Villa to accept Ollie Watkins transfer bid
Alan Hutton has told Manchester United they will have to pay “through the roof” to secure a transfer for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins this summer.
The 28-year-old has been in excellent form under Unai Emery this season in the Premier League, scoring 19 goals and laying on 13 assits in just 37 appearances to help fire the Villans into the Champions League next term.
Watkins’ impressive form hasn’t gone unnoticed however and reports suggest that Manchester United are keen to bring the England international to Old Trafford as he fits the profile of forward Jim Ratcliffe is looking for [talkSPORT, 22 May].
Although Hutton believes Villa would consider a big-money offer it was made this summer, he admits that he thinks the striker will be more than happy to stay at Villa Park for another season under Emery.
“It would have to be massive,” Hutton told Villa News.
“He’s 28 years old now, Villa are in the Champions League and he signed a new contract not that long ago. The money would have to be through the roof for him to go.
“He has had an excellent season, he’s been unplayable at times so I do understand why teams like Manchester United who are crying out for another striker are hovering around him, I totally get it.
“I just don’t think that is somewhere at this moment in time where he would go and it would all be rosy. I think where he is at this moment in time is perfect.
“You look at somebody like Harry Kane who I know is an outstanding player, one of the world’s best, but he waited until he was later on in his career and he still got his move.
“I think if Ollie Watkins continues in the form that he’s been in and continues to score goals and produce the numbers that he has done, that’s not going to go away so I would like to think he is happy where he is and is already looking forward to next season.”
Will Manchester United sign Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins in the summer transfer window?
It shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs are considering a move for Watkins when the transfer window opens as he has been “unplayable” for large parts of the campaign.
But Emery is not blessed with much depth in the centre-forward position at this moment in time, with Jhon Duran the only real alternative striker in his ranks and his future has also been the subject of plenty of speculation.
The indication from Villa Park over the last few months has been that Emery is keen to secure a strike partner for Watkins this summer, rather than a replacement centre-forward.
If that truly is the case, United would likely have to pay well over the odds so that the Villans could buy two new number nines when the window opens. Although they do have money to spend, it seems unlikely they would be willing to foot that bill.
In other Aston Villa news, a new development at Chelsea could help Emery secure a summer transfer for Conor Gallagher
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