Man United 'make concrete effort' to land Aston Villa star after 'admitting defeat' in pursuit of 27-year-old

Manchester United have reportedly stepped up their interest in Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.

The Red Devils are determined to land a new forward during this summer's transfer window considering their struggles in that area of the field during a very difficult 2024-25 campaign.

The 20-time English champions have boosted their attack with the arrival of Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers, and they are still working on a deal for Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo.

Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres, 27, continues to be linked with a move to Old Trafford, but talk of a potential switch to the Red Devils has gone cold, with Arsenal very much in the driving seat.

Man United are therefore said to be looking at other options in the market, and according to The Mirror, Watkins has fast emerged as the club's number one target in the final third of the field.

Man United 'step up interest' in Villa forward Watkins

The report claims that the Red Devils are now making 'a concrete effort' to land Watkins, who is believed to be open to making the move to Old Trafford despite the club missing out on European football for next season.

Villa allegedly want £60m for Watkins, but it is highly unlikely that Man United would go near that price for the England international considering his age.

Watkins does have three years left to run on his contract, though, placing Unai Emery's side in a strong position when it comes to potential negotiations this summer.

Man United need to sell before they can pay out another big fee, with Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Antony and Alejandro Garnacho all potentially leaving this summer.

Watkins arrived at Villa Park from Brentford in September 2020, and he has represented Villa on 223 occasions, scoring 87 goals and registering 42 assists, including 17 goals and 14 assists in 54 matches last term.

Could Man United also sign Martinez from Villa?

Man United have also allegedly identified Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez as their number one target between the sticks during this summer's transfer window.

Andre Onana has struggled since arriving at Old Trafford, and with the Cameroon international potentially leaving this summer, the Red Devils are looking at the market when it comes to possible replacements.

Martinez is said to be a £40m target for the 20-time English champions, so two Villa players could potentially make the move to Ruben Amorim's side before the end of the transfer market.

Written by
Matt Law