Football Insider comes up with a story that I’ll admit is a bit difficult to follow, but today early the BBC has updated it somewhat and largely confirmed what has been a rumor until now.
English media believe that Ollie Watkins plus Marcus Rashford are butter on bacon and that Watkins, who joined Villa Park from Brentford in the summer of 2020 for €34 million, could lose his status with manager Unai Emery.
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If Saturday’s 4 – 1 overrun of Newcastle where Ollie Watkins opened the ball after just a minute and he was played out the game even after Marcus Rashford came on after 81 minutes is an indication of the future, we think the English media are wrong.
Aston Villa are one step closer to Champions League qualification next year after breaking Newcastle’s impressive winning streak.
Not sure if the “plan” can be implemented after the overrun of Newcastle!
Ollie Watkins and Marcus Rashford could move in opposite directions in this summer’s transfer window, while Manchester United are looking for a solution. Manchester United have an idea, a surprise swap involving Marcus Rashford and Ollie Watkins.
Rashford has been loaned out to Aston Villa for the rest of the season after a dispute with United man Ruben Amorim. It remains to be seen if he wants to return to United, where the club are keen to sell him this summer. The 27-year-old has contributed one goal and five assists since joining the mid-English club. Villa have been asked to pay around £40 million to make the transfer permanent.
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With Rashford’s good performances at Unai Emery’s side, United believe this could increase their chances of luring Watkins to Old Trafford.
Rashford’s form has meant that he has often passed Watkins as the first choice at the top. He was chosen ahead of him in Villa’s 3-2 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, a game that nevertheless saw Villa crash out of the tournament after a 5-4 aggregate defeat. If Villa decide to sign Rashford, Watkins could be interested in leaving Villa Park to secure more game time elsewhere.
Watkins was a transfer target for Arsenal last summer, but Villa rejected their approaches.
However, if Watkins makes it clear that he wants to leave, United could consider offering Rashford plus a significant sum of money in exchange for the 29-year-old England international.
Watkins has scored 15 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions for Aston Villa this season.
But he has struggled to repeat his fantastic form from last season, when he recorded 27 goals in 53 games.
In total, he has 85 goals in 216 appearances for Villa, and until recently he was a fixture in the team since joining from Brentford in 2020.
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Watkins also has 18 caps for England, with five goals – including a memorable last-second winning goal against the Netherlands that secured a 2-1 win for the Three Lions in the Euro 2024 semi-final.
