Liverpool are reportedly interested in making a move for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins in the upcoming summer transfer window.
According to a report from Football Insider, reigning Premier League champions Liverpool are lining up a summer move for Aston Villa and England striker Ollie Watkins ahead of the next season.
A product of the Exeter City academy, Watkins shot to fame during his time at Brentford. The 25-year-old enjoyed a fine 2019/20 season, almost leading the Bees to promotion to the Premier League. This prompted Aston Villa to make a move for him last summer, with the Midlands club shelling out a club record transfer fee for his signing.
In his debut season in the Premier League, Watkins has shone brightly. The centre-forward has started all of Villa’s 30 Premier League so far this term, producing a more than handy return of 12 goals and three assists. This tally includes a stunning hat-trick in the 7-2 drubbing of Liverpool as well as another goal against the Reds in their last league meeting.
On the back of his performances for Villa, Watkins also broke into the England national team last month, scoring on his debut for the Three Lions. And his exploits with club and country have landed him on the radars of Liverpool ahead of the summer transfer window.
Liverpool’s Premier League title defence has gone horribly wrong what with the number of defensive injuries along with the misfiring nature of their attack. Indeed, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have had sub-par seasons so far, leaving Mohamed Salah and new signing Diogo Jota to do much of the heavy-lifting in attack.
Moreover, there have been question marks over the future of Firmino amid interest from Atletico Madrid while backup centre-forward Divock Origi could also be sold before next term. Add to it, the speculations surrounding Salah, the Merseyside giants must need to dip their toes into the transfer market to bolster their attack.
To that end, Liverpool have recently been linked with a move for Athletic Bilbao’s Inaki Williams. Now, Watkins is also said to have emerged as a target for Jurgen Klopp’s side. The report states that the Reds have been impressed by the England international’s all-round ability which would make him a good fit within the Liverpool side.
Watkins is a pacy customer, who can play high-tempo football and has shown that he can score goals consistently. In addition, his ability to play out wide, mobility and aerial prowess ticks a lot of boxes for Liverpool, the report adds. It now remains to be seen if the Reds’ reported interest in the 25-year-old leads into a formal approach in the summer.