Aston Villa are willing to offload Ollie Watkins this summer, and Liverpool are one of the sides who are showing an interest ahead of the summer transfer window, according to a report from Football Insider
Watkins was heavily linked with a departure from Villa Park in the January transfer window, but Unai Emery’s side kept him at the club, offloading Jhon Duran instead. The England international has played a key role for Villa in the last few years, but he’s seen his game time drop in recent months.
Marcus Rashford made the move to Villa during the January transfer window, signing on loan from Manchester United for the second half of the season. Emery has regularly utilised the English forward in a striker role, meaning Watkins has found himself on the bench of late.
Villa Exploring Watkins Sale Amid Liverpool Interest
According to a report from Football Insider, Aston Villa are exploring a possible sale of Watkins in the summer transfer window with the aim of signing Rashford to play in the centre-forward role. Liverpool are eyeing a move to secure the signature of Watkins this summer, with Villa allowing him to depart if they receive an offer of around £60m.
Ollie Watkins’ Premier League statistics – Aston Villa squad ranking
Stats
Output
Squad rank
Appearances
27 (7)
1st
Assists
7
=2nd
Goals
15
1st
Key Passes Per Game
0.7
=7th
Aerials Won Per Game
1.4
2nd
Match rating
6.81
4th
Fabrizio Romano recently confirmed for GIVEMESPORT that Darwin Nunez is likely to head through the exit door during the summer transfer window. As a result, adding a new centre-forward could be a priority for the Reds, despite Nunez not being a guaranteed starter.
Slot has options to play in the striker role, with the likes of Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, and Cody Gakpo being deployed in that position, but none of them are natural centre-forwards. Watkins, described as ‘world-class’, would certainly fit that profile, and it will be interesting to see whether he moves on later this year.