MX23RW : Thursday, February 20 10:37:56| >> :60:1603:1603:

Ollie Watkins latest: Mikel Arteta addresses Arsenal's alleged £60m bid for Aston Villa striker

Arteta addresses Arsenal's January transfer plans as Gunners 'make £60m Watkins bid'
© Imago
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta refuses to confirm whether his club made an offer for Aston Villa centre-forward Ollie Watkins on Wednesday.

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has refused to confirm whether his club made an offer for Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins on Wednesday.

The Gunners are keen to bring a new forward to the Emirates Stadium before the end of the January transfer window, and it is understood that they submitted a £60m offer to Villa for Watkins.

Unai Emery's side, though, are said to have quickly rejected the bid, with the club determined to keep hold of the England international beyond the transfer deadline.

Arteta was asked about the situation following Arsenal's Champions League clash with Girona on Wednesday night, but the Spaniard refused to confirm whether an offer for Watkins had been submitted.

However, the Gunners head coach said that his club are 'trying to improve' their squad before the end of the transfer window.

"I cannot talk about any of that, my confidence is that we have an amazing club and people working always to try to improve and let's see what happens," Arteta told reporters on Wednesday night.

Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins pictured on December 1, 2024© Imago

Arteta coy on Arsenal's 'offer' for Watkins

Villa have agreed to sell Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr in a mega-money deal, meaning that the club are not under any pressure to get rid of Watkins, and it is highly unlikely that both forwards would be allowed to leave this close to the end of the transfer window.

Watkins made the move to Villa Park from Brentford in September 2020, and he has represented his current side on 201 occasions in all competitions, scoring 81 goals and registering 35 assists in the process.

The 29-year-old has been in strong form for Villa during the 2024-25 season, netting 11 times and registering nine assists in 32 appearances, including 10 goals and five assists in the Premier League.

Despite the criticism surrounding Kai Havertz, the forward has scored 14 times in 32 appearances for Arsenal this season, making him comfortably the club's leading goalscorer in 2024-25.

However, the lack of a genuine centre-forward could cost the Gunners the chance to win silverware this season, with no other player in the squad in double figures at this stage of the campaign.

Aston Villa's Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins pictured on October 26, 2024© Imago

Could Arsenal sign Watkins before the deadline?

If Duran was not on the verge of moving to Al-Nassr, then there is a world where Watkins could leave in the latter stages of the transfer window, especially if Arsenal increase their offer.

However, it is incredibly difficult to imagine Villa allowing their two senior strikers to leave at this stage of the campaign, with the club present in the next round of the Champions League, so Arsenal will seemingly have to look elsewhere if they wish to bring in a new forward before Monday night's deadline.

ID:564295:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5025:
Written by
Matt Law

Click here for more stories about Ollie Watkins

Click here for more stories about Arsenal

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins pictured on December 1, 2024
Read Next:
Arsenal fail with shock Watkins bid: Will they make a new offer?
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool26187162263661
2Arsenal25158251222953
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest25145641291247
4Manchester CityMan City25135752351744
5Bournemouth25127644291543
6Chelsea25127647341343
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2512584233941
8Fulham2510963833539
9Aston Villa2610973740-339
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2591063838037
11Brentford25104114342134
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs25931349371230
13Crystal Palace257992932-330
14Everton257992731-430
15Manchester UnitedMan Utd2585122835-729
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham2576122947-1827
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2554163554-1919
18Ipswich TownIpswich2538142350-2717
19Leicester CityLeicester2545162555-3017
20Southampton2523201957-389


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!