Sheffield United have been linked with a move for Championship striker Ollie Watkins, but they could be set to lose out on him to fellow Premier League side Aston Villa.

According to The Sun, Brentford's signing of Peterborough United striker Ivan Toney has paved the way for Watkins to depart the west London side, a development which Aston Villa are hoping to exploit by completing a deal of around £22m to bring Watkins to the Premier League.

Last season, the 24-year-old had a terrific campaign at Brentford in the Championship as he played 49 times, including in the play-offs, and scored 26 goals whilst also supplying three assists, per WhoScored. His confidence in front of goal is further highlighted by the fact that he averaged 2.7 shots and 1.5 key passes per game.

Clearly Wilder would like to add some younger attacking options to the squad due to the fact that Billy Sharp is 34 and David McGoldrick is 32, so it will be a blow to miss out on Watkins, who highlighted how prolific he is with his tally last season.

However, it makes sense that the Blades aren't tabling a big-money bid for the player as Wilder has already spent close to £20m on goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, so it would be better for the club to not just splash the cash on another expensive acquisition but instead add three or four more players to help improve the depth of their squad, particularly in a condensed 2020/21 season. Therefore, it may yet be a blessing in disguise if they don't get Watkins.

Blades fans, will you be gutted to miss out on Watkins to Aston Villa? Comment below with your views!