Chelsea are interested in signing Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins and in order to bring him to Stamford Bridge, they are ready to offer one of their players.
Watkins had a fantastic 2023–24 season, making 37 Premier League appearances and scoring 19 goals along with 13 assists.
It should come as no surprise that Chelsea are interested in the 28-year-old because he has established himself as one of the Premier League’s top goal scorers.
According to Football Insider, the Blues are plotting a sensational swoop for the England international.
Watkins is currently away on international duty with the England team at the European Championship.
The striker scored a late winning goal for the Three Lions in the semifinal of the Euros against the Netherlands to take Gareth Southgate’s men to the final to face Spain.
The Blues are currently in the market for a new striker and Watkins looks like the ideal player who can ease their goal scoring woes next season.
The Blues struggled for goals last season when Nicolas Jackson played as their attacker.
Although he managed to score 14 goals in the Premier League, the striker lacked the cutting edge and missed a number of easy chances to score in crucial moments.
Manager Enzo Maresca wants a ruthless presence upfront and Watkins can provide that, displaying his fantastic goal scoring form last season as well as his playmaking ability.
As per the report, Chelsea are prepared to offer midfielder Conor Gallagher and cash to sign the Aston Villa attacker.
The midfield player’s contract expires next summer, and an extension has not been agreed upon by the two sides.
Gallagher has been linked with an exit for a long time due to Chelsea’s financial situation despite the midfielder’s desire to stay at the club.
It would be interesting to see whether Aston Villa are prepared to accept a player-plus-cash deal for their star striker.
The Midlands club will be involved in Champions League football next season under manager Unai Emery and they would definitely want their best player and main striker to stay at the club.
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