Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is on the Arsenal January shopping list ahead of Deadline Day.

Arsenal have had a £60 million bid for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins rejected by their Premier League rivals as the final days of the January transfer window tick by.

The Gunners are known to be in the market for a talisman following a serious injury to Brazil international Gabriel Jesus. The absences of Bukayo Saka and Ethan Nwaneri have left Mikel Arteta even shorter on attacking options.

Confirmation of the £60 million bid came from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano and is the first move of real intent coming from the Emirates Stadium. Taking to social media platform X on Tuesday, Romano wrote: "Aston Villa have rejected today an official bid from Arsenal for Ollie Watkins.

"Proposal around £60m turned down as Villa are not happy with timing of the bid, ahead of crucial UCL game for the club. Villa are also in active talks with Al Nassr for Jhon Durán."

Arsenal bid for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins

Watkins joined Aston Villa from Brentford in 2020 for £28 million and has gone on to cement his status as one of the top flight's most dangerous marksmen. He has 69 goals in his 169 Premier League outings.

The England international has had to compete for playing time with Jhon Duran this season as the Colombian enjoys a breakthrough campaign. Watkins has made 23 league appearances, scoring 10 goals and registering five assists.

There has been some talk of a Villa Park exit given the competition for places. Speaking about Watkins in December, Unai Emery said: “I spoke with him about how important he is to the squad. In the last few matches, there’s been different circumstances. I need more work from him tactically but he always understands what he needs to do. My challenge is to get the best out of him and Duran and I want them to have success playing together.

“We need competitiveness but also honesty and respect - I think Watkins is always 100% honest. His commitment is fantastic and he is always doing work for the team. He started the season a little bit late because he was away on duty.

“He also had a little bit of pain and was not achieving the form that we expect. He started to progressively feel better and I think he is okay now. He had a small problem in Leipzig and that is why he didn’t play in the second half, as well as at Nottingham Forest. This also takes into account that Duran is performing well and he is showing that he is deserving of his place. It’s his [Watkins] opportunity to prove his importance to the side."

Watkins on Jhon Duran competition

The player himself has played down talk that the competition for places was proving a major issue for him. Watkins has three goals and two assists in his last five league matches.

Watkins said: “I have had competition with Ingsy before but not to the point like this. Me and Ingsy used to play up front together. With Jhon I have not played too much with him.

“Look, Jhon has been top this season. Whenever he has come on he has taken his chance and he has helped us out so many times. It is nice to have that competition and have that quality in the squad.”

In other news, Arsenal have 'stepped up' transfer talks as the Crystal Palace owner makes a sacking decision.