Manchester United begin process for huge Ollie Watkins transfer: report

Manchester United have begun on a move for Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins.

Ruben Amorim is looking to rebuild his squad after mustering only a 15th-placed Premier League finish at Old Trafford last term. Manchester United have already brought in Matheus Cunha from Wolves, and a move from Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo looks to be edging ever closer.

But with Rasmus Hojlund's future also up in the air, INEOS are not resting on their laurels just yet, with a move for Watkins dependent on whether or not they can shift further bodies out of the door.

Manchester United want Ollie Watkins THIS summer

It's no secret how good Watkins has become during his time at Aston Villa. An England international, the former Brentford man has 129 goal contributions in 223 appearances for the Villans and is as proven as they come. Arsenal have previously expressed an interest in the 29-year-old, although their January bid was swiftly turned down by those at Villa Park.

Now it's Manchester United's turn to try and convince the forward that the grass is greener elsewhere. Hojlund's future could be settled late in the window, FourFourTwo understands, with exits for a whole host of players at Old Trafford also yet to be settled.

According to The Athletic, Manchester United could test Villa's resolve when it comes to a potential sale of Watkins, given their precarious position around the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

Despite Marcus Rashford spending the second half of the 2024/25 season on loan in the Midlands, talks about a potential swap deal were culled when the Manchester United academy graduate indicated his preference to move to Barcelona.

The report states how a 'check call' is as far as INEOS' representatives have gotten with a move for Watkins, with Villa having been looking to see which of their players might attract significant money. This information was relayed before news broke on Monday that the Villans are planning to sell their women's team to themselves, much like Chelsea have done in the past.

Hugo Ekitike, Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres all look beyond the realms of possibility for Manchester United this summer, and target Liam Delap instead decided to join Chelsea earlier in the window.

A fee of more than £60m would be required, given the Gunners saw their bid of around £40m pushed back in January. He has three years left on his current deal and will once again play European football next term, after Villa secured a Europa League spot.

In FourFourTwo's view, after losing Jhon Duran, Unai Emery will more than likely feel he needs a new proven goalscorer in the through the door before letting Watkins go, especially to a direct rival. At 29, the former Exeter City man is entering his peak and seemingly has no rush to seek pastures new.