According to Fichajes, Manchester United are still in the market for a new striker, with Ollie Watkins being the latest name on their shortlist. The Aston Villa star is viewed as a ‘Dark Horse’ in this striker search, as he could be ready to leave the Birmingham club for a new challenge.
Manchester United did their business with Matheus Cunha fairly early and were primed to add Bryan Mbeumo swiftly. There has been a hold-up to the deal for the Cameroonian, and while he’s expected to join the club, Ruben Amorim also wants a striker to fortify his front three options.
Manchester United wanted Liam Delap before his move to Chelsea, and have been chasing Viktor Gyokeres alongside Arsenal. The Swedish striker reportedly turned them down as per reports, but that was more on the lines of preferring the Gunners rather than outright rejecting the Red Devils.
Hence, the club are still hopeful about Gyokeres, although they need more alternatives should the Swede eventually end up at Arsenal. Dusan Vlahovic too prefers a move to AC Milan over Manchester United as per a recent report, and now, Ollie Watkins has come into the focus.
Watkins is currently being viewed as a ‘dark horse’ target from Manchester United’s perspective, due to his age and probably the short to medium-term prospect that he promises to be. The idea of a Delap or Gyokeres offers the club more, but if they cannot land their current primary targets, then the 29-year-old Aston Villa mainstay could prove to be an answer.
Manchester United could make a good enough proposal for Watkins to consider, but the big issue will be Aston Villa’s asking price. Should the Birmingham side continue to ask for more than £60 million, a deal may not be viable at the current moment.
A reduced asking price for the 29-year-old Aston Villa mainstay could do the trick, at which point Manchester United might be interested. However, much like the ‘dark horse’ target theory, Arsenal too are looking at Watkins as a potential option should they fail in their efforts to sig Gyokeres or Benjamin Sesko, and reports are stating that the English forward might lean towards the Gunners if given a choice.
