According to Football Insider, Aston Villa could consider selling Ollie Watkins in the summer to avoid a PSR breach. Their failure to qualify for the Champions League may affect their finances, with the club threading on a fine line with regards to PSR.
Aston Villa stirred up a controversy by lodging an official complaint to the Premier League about the officiating decisions during their final game of the season to Manchester United. The Red Devils came out as 2-0 winners at Old Trafford, which ended the last lingering hope for Aston Villa to qualify for the Champions League.
The Birmingham side missing out on top-tier European football will directly affect their finances, as they are already threading very close to breaching PSR. Aston Villa could potentially get on the wrong side of regulation if they are not able to make sales before a certain date, and much like last summer, they might end up selling a few of their stars.
Emiliano Martinez is already expected to depart, and now the report speculates they could sell Ollie Watkins too. The striker was unhappy with how his season ended with Aston Villa and was expected to take a call on his future. Watkins has had another productive season with 31 goals and assists to his name, which does allow the club to command a decent fee in return.
Arsenal were interested back in January, with Aston Villa rejecting their late offer in that window. While a move never materialised, Watkins would be open to joining the Gunners considering they are his boyhood club and would love the opportunity to play there if a chance came by.
While Arsenal are looking for a striker, they might have moved on from Watkins, as the January window might have been a one-time opportunity for the 31 G/A attacker. The Gunners have already opened talks for Benjamin Sesko, who is a much younger talent than Watkins, which could be in line with the future.
They are also keen on Viktor Gyokeres, as the Swede is considered Arsenal’s priority choice ahead of the summer. It might be a matter of time before the club sign either one of the Swede or Sesko in the summer, as the Watkins interest might have died with the January window.
