Aston Villa ‘preparing for Ollie Watkins sale’ amid £50m transfer news
Aston Villa could be looking to sell Ollie Watkins, amid reported interest in a £50million-rated striker.
Villa currently sit 10th in the Premier League, and are just five points adrift of the Champions League places, after landing a top-four spot last campaign.
The Villa Park faithful will be equally pleased by the fact that their side booked their spot in this year’s FA Cup quarter-finals, courtesy of a 2-0 win over Championship side Cardiff City on Friday.
Meanwhile, star striker Ollie Watkins has had a decent season in the Premier League so far, scoring 12 goals as well as making six assists in 28 top-flight outings.
However, the England international has a long way to go if he is intent on matching last term’s career-best return in the Premier League of 19 goals and 13 assists.
Aston Villa have set their sights on Juventus ace
Villa proved during the January transfer window that they are not shy of offloading sought-after attacking talent, as they facilitated the exit of Colombian star Jhon Duran.
Duran left Villa Park to join Saudi Pro League outfit Al Nassr in a deal worth £65m, which proved that Unai Emery’s side are willing to let go of a bright spark in exchange for the correct transfer fee.
| Jhon Duran Aston Villa stats | All competitions |
| Appearances | 78 |
| Goals | 20 |
| Assists | 0 |
Meanwhile, during the January transfer window, the West Midlands giants also turned down an audacious £60m bid for Watkins’ services from Premier League rivals Arsenal.
However, Villa’s stance on Watkins may now have changed, amid reports that they are interested in Juventus ace Dusan Vlahovic.
According to TEAMTalk, Villa are interested in making their swoop for the Juve forward who has notched nine goals in 20 Serie A outings so far this term.
The news outlet suggested sources had indicated a £50m bid come be forthcoming, with Arsenal also interested.
Vlahovic could be Aston Villa’s Watkins replacement
TEAMTalk’s report states that Emery and co have set their sights on Vlahovic in an effort to fill the void left behind by Duran’s January exit, and would want the Serbia international to compete with Watkins for the number nine shirt.
However, Villa’s decision to sell Duran is indicative that they do not feel the need to have two players who could be seen as main strikers in the same squad.
Therefore, their new interest in Vlahovic shows that Villa could well be preparing for a Watkins sale.
Furthermore, Emery’s men retain the option to buy January loan signing Marcus Rashford for £40m, which they could be tempted to do given the fact that he has created three assists in six appearances.
The potential additions of both Rashford and Vlahovic would surely signal the end of Watkins’ time at Villa Park.