If Aston Villa can negotiate a good fee for striker Ollie Watkins with Arsenal they should take it.
That’s according to former attacker Stan Collymore, who believes the Midlands-based club could get as much as £50m for Watkins.
Rumoured to be wanted by Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in the summer, Aston Villa could find themselves in a good position when it comes to the prospect of selling their number 11.
After so far netting eight league goals, Watkins, 27, is enjoying one of his best seasons at Villa Park since his £34m move from then-Championship side Brentford in 2020.
However, even though the Torquay-born forward is in decent form, Collymore is still not convinced that the 27-year-old is the right player to lead the Villians’ attack so has urged his old club to consider selling him to Arteta’s table-topping Gunners.
“I’d let Ollie Watkins leave Aston Villa,” Collymore said in an exclusive interview.
“He’s been linked with Arsenal quite a few times so it certainly seems they like him. I’m sure they’ve scouted him a bit too.
“I think Watkins is a good player, but I don’t see him as the type of 25-goal-a-season striker that Villa needs. I think he lacks a bit physically too so if Christian Purslow could negotiate a fee around £40m or £50m, he should snap their hand off.”
Do you agree with Collymore? – Should Aston Villa let Watkins go if they can get between £40m – £50m for him? – Let us know in the comments below.