Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is reportedly interested in joining Manchester United this summer.
The England international has been linked with a move away from Villa Park for several months, and is now open to a move to Ruben Amorim’s side if the opportunity arises, according to GiveMeSport.
Watkins still has three years left on his current contract with Aston Villa, and Manchester United have identified him as a top target in the transfer market after missing out on Liam Delap, Viktor Gyökeres and Victor Osimhen.
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Watkins open for United transfer
The 29-year-old scored 17 goals and provided 14 assists in 54 appearances in all competitions last season, and Man Utd see him as a player who can bring the quality they need to Amorim’s attack.
Arsenal and Chelsea have also been linked with Watkins in recent months, but the former has ended their pursuit of him as they work to finalise a deal for Gyökeres, while the latter opted to sign Joao Pedro and Delap instead.
As a result, Man Utd are now among the leading candidates to secure Watkins this summer, and the England striker is willing to make a move to Old Trafford – despite the club failing to qualify for European football last season.
Multiple attack targets listed
In addition to Watkins, Man Utd are also interested in signing Fiorentina’s Moise Kean and Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, as FootballTransfers revealed exclusively back in May.
Amorim are determined to bring in a new striker after Rasmus Hojlund’s poor season, but United are yet to make much progress in the transfer market as they first want to complete a deal for Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo.
They have been in intensive negotiations for the Cameroonian international for several weeks, and are eager to announce his arrival ahead of their first Premier League game of the 2025/26 season against Arsenal on August 17.
There have been rumours that Manchester United will try to get a swap deal where they send Alejandro Garnacho to Villa Park and get Ollie Watkins in return. Although Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has been impressed by Alejandro Garnacho on several occasions, few believe he is ready to swap a player who delivers every week for someone who is so uncertain.
“Facts on the ground” point to the same thing. If there is a transfer, it will be a pure purchase. There is talk of at least 60 million euros.
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