Arsenal Close to Signing Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa for £60m + £5m Add-ons

Arsenal have reached an agreement with Aston Villa to sign Ollie Watkins for £60 million, with an additional £5 million in potential add-ons. The bid has been accepted, and the clubs are now finalizing payment terms. An official announcement is expected shortly, ahead of the transfer deadline.

Ollie Watkins’ Reaction to Arsenal’s Late Bid

Ollie Watkins has been given renewed hope of joining Arsenal after the Gunners made a huge late offer, following their initial bid being rejected by Aston Villa.

Watkins, a long-time Arsenal supporter, has always dreamt of playing for Mikel Arteta’s team. Arsenal had initially offered €48 million (£40m) for the England striker, but Villa turned it down, especially since they had received a much larger offer for Jhon Duran, who later moved to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia for €80 million.

Despite this setback, it’s been reported by TeamTalk that Watkins is “absolutely gutted” by the rejection but remains open to a move.

Now, with Arsenal preparing to offer €72 million (£60m), the situation looks promising for Watkins. This bid is much closer to his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €65.8 million, increasing the chances of Villa accepting the offer.

The deal may depend on whether Villa manager Unai Emery believes Marcus Rashford can lead the attack or if there’s another forward option they can sign before the deadline.

If Arsenal’s second offer fails, there’s uncertainty about whether they will pursue Watkins again in the summer.

Arteta is also reportedly eyeing other targets like RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, which has left Watkins worried this may be his only chance to join the club.