Arsenal monitoring Ollie Watkins ahead of summer transfer window

Steve Kay

• Updated: 17 Apr 2023 11:49 BST
• 3 min read

Confirmed

Arsenal are keeping a close eye on Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins before the summer transfer window, FootballTransfers can reveal.

Watkins is one of the form players in the Premier League in 2023, having scored 12 goals since the turn of the year as Unai Emery’s Villa side have launched an unexpected push to finish in the top four.

Indeed, since the World Cup, only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has scored more Premier League goals than the former Brentford hitman, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €46 million.

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Arsenal with long-standing interest in Watkins

Arsenal are known to be in the market for a No.9 in the summer and Watkins is a player who they have a long-standing interest in. Indeed, the Gunners moved to sign the 27-year-old in 2021.

Watkins, who is a boyhood Arsenal fan, has been on fire this season, scoring 14 goals and fashioning six assists in 30 Premier League starts. He has recently stated how it would be a dream to put on the Arsenal shirt, and with Folarin Balogun seemingly unsure of his future, despite the club’s intention to keep hold of him, that dream of his could come sooner than he thinks.

Mikel Arteta has been a long-time admirer of the England international and even singled out the Villa hitman performance after the 4-2 away win against Villa in February.

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The player's contract runs out in 2025 and nothing more would please the Villa faithful than for him to sign a new long-term contract.

Talks over a new deal have been rumoured that could see him pocket at least £100,000-a-week and keep him at Villa Park for the foreseeable future, but an approach from Arsenal would certainly give him something to think about.

At the time of writing, there has been no concrete approach, but Watkins is a player that the Gunners are keeping close tabs on.