Arsenal have had a significant bid for Ollie Watkins rejected by Aston Villa, with fellow striker Jhon Durán poised to leave instead after the club received an offer rising to £80m from Al-Nassr for the Colombian.
Durán signed a new deal at Villa Park running to 2030 in October last year but now seems set to depart only months later. The Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr had previously agreed a deal to sign the Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface but it seems they have opted for the 21-year-old Villa player instead.
Arsenal are thought to have made their approach for England international Watkins last week but Villa have no desire to sell him. It remains to be seen whether Arsenal return with a second bid but Villa will be very reluctant to sell both Durán and Watkins in this window.
After victory over Celtic on Wednesday, Unai Emery strongly hinted at Durán’s departure. “I don’t know exactly until everything is done if Jhon Durán is leaving but if he is leaving it is good news for us because it means they are paying good money,” he said. “Because we have developed one young player in two years to get this offer. It is not only for the club, it is the club, the players and team, those circumstances can be positive. If he is leaving it is because he prefers to do another way in his career. If he is leaving, of course, it is because he wants to.”
By contrast, Emery is determined to keep Watkins. “I don’t want [to sell]. It is good news to have offers from other clubs. We want to keep our sporting objective through the players we have in the squad,” he said.
“Every player can be in the market if it is good for the player and the club. To get this deal we are going to be demanding. Watkins is our striker.”
The Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has not hidden his desire to strengthen his attack after injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka. “Ideally we need some help,” Arteta said last week. “We were short already and now we are even shorter. The team still copes with that.”
Watkins has scored 10 Premier League goals for Villa this season, including the equaliser in their recent 2-2 draw at Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
The 29-year-old, who signed from Brentford five years ago, was a boyhood Gunners fan. “That’s the dream, to play for Arsenal one day,” Watkins said in 2020. He also scored in last season’s 2-0 win at the Emirates which was Arsenal’s only defeat in the run-in and one many felt cost them the title. Watkins, who has remained as Emery’s first-choice striker despite Durán’s prolific form this season, has three years left on his contract.
Villa are angered at the timing of the Arsenal bid emerging, with a second Champions League game derailed by transfer noise surrounding one of their prized assets. West Ham bid for Durán on the eve of Villa’s defeat in Monaco last week.
