Aston Villa on verge of club-record £28m deal to sign Brentford's Ollie Watkins
08-Sep-2020 13:56:16 | The Guardian
- Striker set for medical and fee could grow with add-ons
- Villa also keen on Joshua King and Saïd Benrahma
Aston Villa are on the verge of a club-record £28m deal, plus add-ons, for the Brentford striker Ollie Watkins. Villa and their manager, Dean Smith, identified the 24-year-old as one of their primary targets and believe they have fought off competition from Premier League rivals to land the winner of last season’s Championship player of the year award.
Watkins, who worked with Smith at Brentford, is understood to be keen on reuniting with his former manager. He trained with Brentford on Tuesday but is expected to undergo a medical with Villa in the next 24 hours. He scored 26 goals as Brentford reached last season’s play-off final, spearheading the attack after the £20m departure of Neal Maupay to Brighton. Exeter City of League Two, who sold Watkins to Brentford for £1.8m in 2017, are thought to have a £15% sell-on clause.
Related: The transfer window is working for young, free and single footballers
Continue reading...Read More