Aston Villa are reportedly braced to receive offers for Ollie Watkins this summer amid interest from four Premier League clubs.
The 29-year-old has recorded 86 goals and 41 assists in 218 appearances for the Lions since joining the club from Brentford in 2020 and has established himself as an important first-team player at Villa Park.
However, Watkins has lost his regular starting spot up front in recent weeks, as manager Unai Emery has preferred using January loan signing Marcus Rashford, who has started six of Villa's last eight games in all competitions.
Watkins recently admitted that he was left 'fuming' after being left out of the starting lineup for both legs of Villa's Champions League quarter-final tie with Paris Saint-Germain, while he also began as a substitute in Villa's 2-1 Premier League defeat to top-five rivals Manchester City on Tuesday.
The England international is due to see his contract at the club expire in June 2028, but speculation over his long-term future at Villa Park has grown.
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Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea all interested in Watkins
Villa's No.11 was the subject of interest from Arsenal - the club he supports - in the January transfer window, but the Gunners were said to have failed with a bid worth up to £60m.
According to former Villa scout Mick Brown, Arsenal are still keeping an eye on Watkins's situation, while Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea have also been credited with an interest.
It is claimed by Brown that Watkins is "definitely" still considered part of Emery's plans, but there is a growing feeling that he will be allowed to leave if Villa receive an acceptable offer.
Brown, who also worked as the chief scout at Man United and Blackburn Rovers and remains very well-connected within the game, has also revealed that he pushed for the Red Devils to sign Watkins when he was working at Old Trafford.
Speaking to Football Insider, Brown said: "I put in a lot of effort to convince Villa to sign Watkins when I was there (at Man United).
"The reason for that is he's different to most strikers at the moment because he always wants to stretch the defence, drift wide and run in behind.
"He's done that very well in his time at Villa and shown he can do it in the England team as well.
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Watkins future may depend on permanent Rashford deal
"There have always been little question marks about his control and his consistency in front of goal, but he never stops working and improving and I think that's been clear to see, and he scores plenty.
"So from what I hear, Man United, Liverpool and Chelsea have all been having a look at him, and so have Arsenal after they tried to sign him.
"What's happened at Villa is Marcus Rashford has come in and he plays that same role as Watkins. He looks like he's back to his best and so he's being chosen to start some of the big games for Emery.
"Watkins is definitely still a part of their plans, but he's not going to be happy playing second fiddle to Rashford if they make that deal permanent. If that is the case, I'd expect those four teams I mentioned before all to make a move.
"Villa will be ready for that, they know about the interest and if an offer is made that they deem acceptable, he may well leave the club.
"That would then leave space for Rashford to come in and they'd probably want another one too."
It is understood that Villa would contemplate selling Watkins this summer if they received a fee in the region of £50m to £60m, and the funds generated would go towards signing Rashford on a permanent basis from Man United.
Oliver Thomas
