Arsenal’s pursuit of a new striker continues, with now less than two weeks before Mikel Arteta and his squad travel out to the Far East for their pre-season tour of Singapore and Hong Kong.
The transfer chase for a frontman has ebbed and flowed so far this summer, with Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres the two players most heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium.
One week Arsenal are close to signing Sesko, the next it is Gyokeres on the verge of completing a deal. It feels like it will be one or the other come September 1 – transfer deadline day.
But should the Gunners turn their attentions elsewhere and make a move for a former transfer target instead?
Ollie Watkins continues to be linked with a move away from Aston Villa and Arsenal had a bid for the England man rejected in the January transfer window.
Manchester United are thought to be interested in Watkins, who has previously admitted to being an Arsenal fan, and Villa could indeed be tempted to sell.
Villa have a Squad Cost Rules issue in that they need to drive down their wage bill, having agreed with UEFA they would do so this summer and next summer. That involves getting players off the books.
There are ways they can do that without seelilng their biggest stars, but if a club came in with the right valuation they would look to do a deal for Watkins to leave.
However, Arsenal are unlikely to give Villa the price they would demand to sell Watkins.
Arsenal offered Villa £40million in January for the 29-year-old – a bid that was rejected out of hand, with Villa looking for a fee in the region of £60million instead. football.london understands Arsenal did not see £60million as good value for money for the striker and the finances did not add up for Mikel Arteta’s side as a short to medium-term solution to their goalscoring problems.
If Villa were willling to accept a lower fee this summer, Arsenal may well be interested in making another move. The £60million price tag is cheaper than what they will have to shell out for Gyokeres or Sesko, but Arsenal would be looking to drive the price down even more than that.
Reports suggest Villa remain adamant that £60million is their valuation for the striker and that will mean Arsenal do not pursue a deal in this window.
