Arsenal told £60m transfer target 'would like' move amid manager admission

Arsenal have received mixed news in their pursuit of Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins. The Gunners made a surprise bid for the forward earlier this week, proposing a £60million deal that Villa were not convinced by.

In fact, the Midlands club were said to have been left unhappy with the bid, and specifically the timing of it, given it arrived hours before their final Champions League group stage clash.

But Arsenal don’t have time to waste as they search desperately for a new attacker and with just days remaining in the January window. Arsenal are expected to return with another bid, but Villa are likely to stand their ground given they are selling another striker this month, with Jhon Duran headed to Saudi Arabia on a big-money deal.

Asked about the Watkins bid, Villa boss Unai Emery said on Wednesday night: “I don’t want (him to leave). 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. 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.”

Mixed news for Arsenal

As for Arsenal, they may well get Watkins, but not on the time scale they need, desperate for a striker this month, while Watkins is not likely to be allowed to leave until the summer. That’s according to ESPN’s James Olley, who said: “Arsenal have had a bid rejected by Aston Villa for their striker Ollie Watkins. It comes as the Gunners are assessing their options really, after it became clear that Benjamin Sesko wouldn't leave Red Bull Leipzig this month.

"Watkins is one of a number of players that they have been tracking for a while because they know that they need to strengthen in those attacking positions. Obviously they lost Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus to injury, but really they were short before that anyway. They decided against signing a striker last summer when Sesko signed his new contract with Leipzig.

"The situation with Watkins is kind of complicated. He would like the move, I'm told, I think he's open to joining Arsenal, and he is on record as saying that it would be his dream to play for the Gunners one day. But it is a difficult situation because it comes right near the end of the window, but also there is some uncertainty about Villa's other centre-forward, Jhon Duran, who is attracting interest from Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

"The Saudi Pro League transfer window closes on Friday night, so that is three days before the Premier League window closes. I think because the timing of the bid has not gone down particularly well with Villa, as it's come just a few hours before they played their Champions League game against Celtic."

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