Man United 'make contact' over move for 16-goal Aston Villa star

Manchester United have reportedly made contact over a potential deal to sign Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.

The Red Devils are looking to sign a new centre-forward, amid uncertainty surrounding Rasmus Hojlund's future at the club. 

Hojlund has failed to live up to expectations since completing a big-money move from Atalanta BC in the summer of 2023.

The Dane particularly struggled in the 2024-25 campaign, mustering just four goals in 32 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils.

While Hojlund is willing to stay, Man United are open to the prospect of offloading him in the current transfer window.

Man United make contact over Watkins swoop

As a result, Man United are searching for possible replacements, with Watkins said to be on their list of transfer targets.

According to The Athletic, the Red Devils have now made contact with Villa over a potential deal for the England international. 

Man United hierarchy's have allegedly reached out to Villa, via intermediaries, to explore the details of a transfer.

The two clubs included Watkins in discussions over Marcus Rashford's future at the end of last season.

Unai Emery's side had a £40m option to sign Rashford following his loan spell, but they were put off a permanent transfer by the player's desire to join Barcelona.

Would Watkins be a good fit for Man United?

Man United have seen young forwards like Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee struggle to deliver following their arrivals at Old Trafford.

With that in mind, they may view Watkins as a low-risk option because he has already proven that he can score goals in the Premier League.

In fact, he has racked up 75 goals in 184 top-flight appearances for the Villans, including 16 goals in 38 Premier League matches last term.

If Man United were to sign Watkins, Ruben Amorim would deploy him as the solitary central striker in his 3-4-2-1 formation.

The Red Devils could envisage a starting XI where summer addition Matheus Cunha and current target Bryan Mbeumo play as the two number 10s behind Watkins.