Watkins joined Villa back in the summer of 2020 from Brentford for a fee of £28 million (The Guardian) and has established himself as a regular at Villa Park....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Reports have suggested that the 26-year-old could be offered to Leeds this summer and it seems that Jesse Marsch is keen on the player.
Leeds could move for Watkins
Sources at Villa deny any tension between the player and Gerrard and claim the club are not looking to sell the England international.
The Villains are apparently calm about the situation but that could change if Watkins pushes for a move during the current window.
A final name to mention is Ollie Watkins. Villa sources dismiss tension between Watkins and Steven Gerrard and maintain they don’t want to sell. Palace and Leeds monitoring. Key will be whether Watkins pushes for an exit. Villa calm about situation but no doubt one to watch.
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) August 14, 2022
Watkins was left out of Gerrard’s team on the opening day as Villa fell to a 2-0 defeat against Bournemouth.
But the striker returned to the starting line-up against Everton yesterday and set up both of Villa’s goals as Gerrard’s men returned to winning ways.
The Whites are on the lookout for attacking reinforcements and striker Patrick Bamford went off with an adductor issue during Leeds’ 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace yesterday.
According to the Athletic, Bamford should be fine to train this week but the scare might just prompt Leeds to step up their search for another striker.
Marsch does have youngster Joe Gelhardt available and he stepped up well to role in Bamford’s absence last season.
But Marsch will be hoping to sign another striker to provide competition for Bamford before the window closes.
Watkins could be a brilliant option for Marsch but it’s unclear whether Gerrard would be willing to let his player join a Premier League rival.
