Aston Villa Ollie Watkins is reportedly set to sign a new long-term contract at Villa Park amid interest from Arsenal.
According to a report from talkSPORT, Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is ready to sign a new long-term contract at the club, handing Arsenal a huge blow in their pursuit of the 27-year-old England international.
Watkins joined Villa from Brentford in September 2020 for a then-club record fee of £28 million, which could rise to £32 million. And the forward has consistently impressed for the Lions over the past three seasons, scoring 43 goals and providing 13 assists in 116 games in all competitions for the club.
The England international has been a key figure in Villa’s revival under Unai Emery and has been revived since the Spaniard succeeded Steven Gerrard in October last year. He scored 15 goals in the Premier League last season, with his efforts helping Unai Emery’s side qualify for the Europa League.
He has started this campaign in great form too, with four goals and two assists in nine games across all competitions, and he’ll hope to keep that up.
His performances have certainly not gone unnoticed, and as such, the 27-year-old has been linked with a move away from Villa Park. Arsenal have recently been tentatively linked with Watkins as the north Londoners assess their No. 9 options.
There is serious talk over whether or not Gabriel Jesus or Eddie Nketiah are well-rounded enough to spearhead the line for the Gunners.
Football Transfers claimed earlier this week that Gunners sporting director Edu Gasper has spoken with the forward’s representatives about a possible deal, with the Gunners said to prefer the 27-year-old over Ivan Toney in January as he will be match-fit rather than rusty after serving a ban for disobeying football betting regulations.
Arsenal are not the only team interested in Watkins, with the report noting that Chelsea are also admirers of the former Brentford star due to their well-documented struggles at putting the ball in the net.
However, their hopes of signing Watkins to remedy the situation have now been dashed, with talkSPORT reporting that he is in line to put pen to paper on a new long-term contract at Villa Park, which comes as music to the ears of Villa fans.
Watkins currently has less than two years left on the deal, and as such, the Villains have been looking to tie him down to a new contract for some time in order to fend off outside interest, starting talks over an improved deal at the end of last season.
Amid the fresh interest from rivals, the negotiations are set to speed up over the coming months, and it is expected that all will be concluded before January. Watkins wants to stay at Villa Park as the club continues to improve under Emery, with the club now sixth in the standings after six games.
