Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins celebrates against Everton
Leeds United bringing in Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins ‘would excite’ supporters, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
The Lowdown: Watkins linked with Leeds
The Whites appear to be on the hunt for a new forward before the September 1 deadline and have been linked with a move for the 26-year-old.
Jacobs was the reporter who broke the news of Leeds’ interest in the England international earlier this month, saying that those from Elland Road are ‘monitoring developments’ amid rumours of unrest at Villa Park.
Watkins, who Michael Owen has called a ‘top, top player’, scored his first goal of the season in the 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace over the weekend, adding to his two assists against Everton the week before.
The Latest: Jacobs’ comments
Talking to GiveMeSport about Leeds and Watkins, Jacobs said that a move to Elland Road for the 26-year-old ‘would excite Leeds fans’, although he added that a transfer may not be able to be finalised quickly.
The CBS reporter stated:
“I think Ollie Watkins is the one that would excite Leeds fans the most, but there’s nothing to suggest that they can get a deal done quickly.
“Between now and when the window closes – unless these Villa denials are more PR, there is an underlying tension and Watkins does want a fresh challenge at that point – perhaps Leeds will see a window of opportunity to capitalise.”
The Verdict: Unlikely?
Watkins still has three years left to run on his Villa deal and is valued at a career-high £31.5m by Transfermarkt, so you’d expect that it would take a big-money offer to tempt the Midlands club into selling, especially to a Premier League rival.
The money is there at Elland Road for a marquee addition following a €40m (£33.7m) agreement for Charles De Ketelaere before he ultimately joined AC Milan, so it could be one to watch, although it does seem unlikely.
Where will Leeds finish this season?
Top half
11th-14th
15th-17th
Bottom three
Everton have also made an approach of their own for Watkins, so Victor Orta could be better off looking abroad in search of better value for money, as Leeds have done with their six first-team signings so far this summer.
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