Newcastle ‘to approach Aston Villa for Watkins in hours’ after transfer update
Newcastle United could be set to launch a move for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.
The England international has attracted plenty of interest this summer, with Manchester United also sounding out a potential move.
Watkins enjoyed a strong season for the Villans last season, scoring 16 goals and providing eight assists in the Premier League.
But the 29-year-old has shown his willingness to leave Villa Park, after almost joining Arsenal in January.
Benjamin Sesko update could lead to Watkins raid
Several Premier League clubs have been looking for a striker this summer, with a potential domino effect starting to form, which could impact Aston Villa.
Liverpool are hoping to sign Alexander Isak, and the Swede’s desire to leave Newcastle has led the Magpies to seek out replacements.
They had initially wanted to sign forward Hugo Ekitike, but it was the Reds who hijacked that move.
Yoane Wissa has also been among the considerations at St James’ Park, but Bryan Mbeumo’s Brentford departure has left the Bees light up front and less comfortable with the idea of Wissa joining him out the door.
| Strikers potentially on the move |
| Ollie Watkins |
| Benjamin Sesko |
| Alexander Isak |
| Yoane Wissa |
| Nicolas Jackson |
| Rasmus Hojlund |
Instead, Newcastle decided to go for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, who also attracted interest from Arsenal, before the Gunners signed Viktor Gyokeres.
But Manchester United have now entered the fray, and seem to have won the preference of the 22-year-old.
According to Alex Crook (6 August), decision-makers in the North East are aware of the player’s decision and are ready to move on to other targets.
Among those targets is likely to be Villa’s Watkins, with Newcastle previously showing interest this summer.
Guessand arrival would lessen Watkins blow
Villa are set to complete the signing of Evann Guessand in the coming days, after striking an agreement worth around £30million with OGC Nice.
The Frenchman’s arrival could open the door for Watkins’ departure, but Villa would need to sign a further forward in the remaining weeks of the window.
Samu Aghehowa has been linked, but negotiations are expected to be difficult with Porto, and with the season opener just over a week away, Villa may ultimately decide that the strenuous nature of such a situation is not worth the benefits.
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