Aston Villa line up €70m striker who’s more Mbappe than Watkins

Robin Bairner

• 11 Apr 2024 10:50 BST
• 8 min read

Aston Villa appear to be preparing for life after Ollie Watkins, with the Birmingham club linked with a potential €70 million transfer for one of Europe’s breakout strikers this season.

Joshua Zirkzee has shone with Bologna as they have fired themselves into unexpected Champions League contention in Serie A, and it is the Dutchman that Villa are monitoring ahead of the summer, according to Il Resto del Carlino.

The report indicates that Unai Emery’s side have already been in contact with agent Kai Joorabchian to discuss a potential move to the Premier League.

READ MORE: Aston Villa reignite interest in forgotten Arsenal star

Villa would have no problems matching the €60-70m asking price that Bologna are looking for in order to sell the 22-year-old, who has scored 10 goals in 29 Serie A matches for Thiago Motta’s side.

They could also easily double the player’s current €2m per season wage.

All this suggests that Villa are bracing themselves for the departure of Watkins, who has been linked with a move to a string of Premier League giants seeking a No.9.

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Current ETV

Joshua Zirkzee

F (CRL)

Bologna FC 1909

Joshua Zirkzee

F (CRL)

Bologna FC 1909

€21.4M

ETV Range

€16M - €26.7M

View full profile

Zirkzee in, Watkins out?

Zirkzee is a different player to Watkins, though. Although more of a centre-forward before Thiago Motta’s Bologna revolution, he has become more withdrawn this season, playing a greater role in the buildup actions of his team in the style of a shadow striker.

Equally, though, Zirkzee does has the capacity to get himself into the box and into goal scoring positions. He just does not tend to do it quite as much as Watkins.

In this regard, he interprets the centre-forward role more closely to that of PSG striker Kylian Mbappe. Data analytics firm SciSports indicates that there is a greater than 90% similarity in the way the two play the role.

READ MORE: Latest Aston Villa transfer rumours

Zirkzee vs Watkins

Villa, meanwhile, are seen as a good option for Zirkzee via SciSports’ Career Advice tool.

Based on a variety of factors, including potential development, playing time, style and formation, Emery’s side are given a Club Fit score of 73 in terms of their suitability for Zirkzee. This places them eighth in terms of his ideal clubs.

However, Villa only earn three stars out of a possible five under the playing time category due to the presence of Watkins. If the England man were to depart, this would surely rise to four or five, likely moving the Villans into the top five ahead of Manchester United and Liverpool.

Nearly all the elements are in place to make this an excellent transfer for Villa, but it hinges on the future of Watkins.