Ollie Watkins next club odds: Manchester United edge ahead as favourites

Manchester United have been named as potential suitors for yet another striker target. This time, they are being linked with Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, although the link is only believed to be quite tenuous at the moment with a lot of ifs and maybes.

United’s Marcus Rashford spent last season on loan at Aston Villa, and when the two clubs were talking about making the deal permanent, the idea of including Watkins as a makeweight was included to help Villa reach the £40m fee. However, when Rashford’s head was turned by Barcelona, Villa opted against pursuing a deal. 

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Rashford’s exclusion from any deal may make negotiations more difficult, but it has been reported that officials from both clubs have held tentative talks via intermediaries. 

The Manchester club have sounded out Villa about a possible move, and bookmakers have seemingly taken the hint. Manchester United are now 3/1 favourites to sign the 29-year-old England striker, ahead of Arsenal (4/1), Newcastle (8/1), and Tottenham (16/1).

As of the end of May, Arsenal were the favourites.

The Red Devils will likely need to make sales before they could reasonably consider a purchase, if they manage to secure a deal for Brentford’s Mbeumo. That deal has dragged on a little, with Brentford reportedly recently increasing their asking price, but it still seems likely to conclude in the coming weeks.

United are also second favourites to snap up Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike.

Rashford is only one of several likely departures this summer. He is said to prefer a move overseas, and while interest from Barcelona seems to have calmed in recent days, a number of high-profile clubs do still hold an interest in the England striker.

There has also been some interest in Sancho, namely from Juventus, who may be prepared to meet United’s reported £25m demands. However, there are difficulties tying up a deal because Sancho will likely have to take a considerable pay cut to complete the move. 

Antony has also been the subject of speculation. Como have expressed an interest, but a more likely destination for the Brazilian striker is Real Betis, where he spent the latter part of last season on loan. He scored nine goals in 24 starts during his spell there, but the Red Devils will want a permanent deal, rather than another loan agreement. 

Finally, while several clubs are reportedly interested in signing youngster Alejandro Garnacho, the club have not yet received any bids. His age and form mean that the Argentinian youngster will likely attract the highest price tag, making the Old Trafford club keen to move the winger on.

With so many potential deals that could yet fall through, United are understandably waiting to see the outcome of some of these transfers before deciding whether to press ahead with too many new signings, but the Manchester club are keen to enable Ruben Amorim to rebuild the squad in his image.

Ollie Watkins’s next club odds, from Ladbrokes, correct at the time of writing: