Ollie Watkins is the subject of strong interest from Turkish giants Fenerbahce with Aston Villa needing to make a significant sale if they are to sign new players this summer.
The England forward, who is currently preparing for Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway, has two years remaining on his contract at Villa.
Though he has been the club’s top scorer every season since he joined in 2020, Watkins is believed to be on a lower salary than top earners Emi Martinez and Youri Tielemans.
Fenerbahce are prepared to give Watkins a huge pay rise, though the offer would also put him in a strong negotiation position for future contract talks.
Despite struggling for much of the campaign, Watkins came to life in the final stretch to secure his place in the World Cup squad.
He scored 13 goals in his final 16 games, helping Villa win the Europa League – their first major trophy since 1996 – and finish fourth in the Premier League.
Ollie Watkins is the subject of strong interest from Turkish giants Fenerbahce this summer
Watkins is currently at the World Cup and has made one substitute appearance for England
Under different circumstances, Villa would be open to selling Watkins.
He turns 31 in December and, with two years remaining on his deal, this is probably the club’s last opportunity to recoup a significant transfer fee.
Yet after breaking UEFA spending rules in each of the last two seasons, Villa are in a tight spot.
European football chiefs have ruled that Villa cannot spend more than they earn on transfers, meaning they would have to demand a high fee for Watkins to be able to replace him with another top-level forward.
Watkins’ fellow attacker Morgan Rogers is another man in demand, with Arsenal interested.
Yet as things stand, Villa are unwilling to consider a sale unless they are offered well in excess of £100million for the 23-year-old.
