How Man Utd would line up with Ollie Watkins

Cameron Smith

21 Apr 2025 06:00 BST
4 min read

Manchester United are interested in signing Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins this summer and they could offer Marcus Rashford as part of the deal.

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Rashford, 27, joined Villa on loan during their January transfer window and Unai Emery’s side are interested in purchasing him on a permanent deal following his impressive start to life with the Birmingham-based outfit.

EXCLUSIVE: Man Utd chase Ollie Watkins amid Rashford swap deal possibility

Current ETV

Ollie Watkins

F (C)

Aston Villa

Ollie Watkins

F (C)

Aston Villa

ETV Range

€56.9M - €69.5M

As exclusively revealed by FootballTransfers, and since confirmed by The Daily Star, Man Utd are eager to sign Watkins and Rashford could be included in a swap deal bid for the England international.

Watkins recently admitted that he was “fuming” at his limited involvement during Villa’s Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain - with Rashford starting both legs ahead of the 29-year-old - and his lack of recent game time has fuelled rumours of a summer exit.

Man Utd are hoping to sign a new centre forward amid the struggles of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, and they have identified Watkins as a key target as they look to acquire a striker capable of firing the club back into title contention.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through how Man Utd could line up if they sign Watkins this summer.

How Man Utd could line up with Ollie Watkins

Andre Onana remains Man Utd’s first-choice goalkeeper, despite several high-profile errors so far this season, although the club have been tipped to sign a new shot-stopper capable of challenging the Cameroon international.

Ruben Amorim has a number of centre-back options at his disposal, but Noussair Mazraoui, Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez may well be the most likely trio to start at the heart of Man Utd’s backline if everyone is fully fit.

Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro and Luka Shaw are also options for Amorim to consider.

Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dorgu have established themselves as Man Utd’s favoured wing-back pairing in recent weeks, while Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo are arguably the two best central midfield options available to Amorim.

Bruno Fernandes is Man Utd’s best player by a country mile and would likely feature as an attacking midfielder alongside Alejandro Garnacho, with Watkins leading the line.