John Percy from the Telegraph has reported that Aston Villa have told Manchester United that Ollie Watkins is not for sale at any price. There has been lots of speculation regarding his future this summer, with the 29-year-old linked with moves to Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool.
#avfc have told Manchester United that Ollie Watkins is not for sale. Watkins interest follows United’s loan offer for Emi Martinez. Villa are also optimistic of Boubacar Kamara signing a new contract #mufc https://t.co/FUUGAgvONx
— John Percy (@JPercyTelegraph) July 24, 2025
In January, Watkins was close to a move to Arsenal, however, Villa rejected the offer as they didn't want to lose both Jhon Duran and Watkins in the same window. It was rumoured that Villa were willing to let Watkins leave this summer for £60 million, but that no longer seems the case and they now want to keep their Premier League record goalscorer.
Manchester United are looking to sign a new No 9 this summer, with Ollie Watkins among a list of targets. They will now need to look elsewhere, with Villa adamant that Watkins will not leave. United manager Ruben Amorim is reportedly prioritising someone with Premier League experience. Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson has been linked with a move to Old Trafford and United may consider making a bid for the 24-year-old as he seems to have fallen down the pecking order with the signings of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap.
Unai Emery's Talisman
Since Unai Emery's arrival, Ollie Watkins' game has been transformed and he is now regarded as one of the best strikers in the Premier League. Under Emery he has made 133 appearances scoring 58 goals and 34 assists, but that doesn't even tell the whole story. His ability to hold up the ball, run into channels and his overall work rate is part of the reason Villa have played so well in the past couple of seasons. A lot of Watkins' game goes unnoticed by both Villa supporters and opposition fans as most people just look at his numbers; whilst they are still good, his all round game makes him one of the best and it is why he has been so effective for Villa.
Last season he became Aston Villa's all-time Premier League goalscorer with a match-winning goal against Bournemouth, surpassing Gabriel Agbonlahor's total of 74 goals. He celebrated by grabbing the club's crest on his shirt and soaking up the jubilation from the Villa fans. It was a record he set out to break when he first joined the club and it's been a time where supporters have backed him for a lot of his Villa career. Though at times he has had his doubters, but he always seems to prove them wrong.
The 23/24 season was Watkins' best, scoring 19 goals and 13 assists in the Premier League, which was the joint second highest for goal contributions. He played an integral part in Villa finishing 4th in the league and reaching the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, where he scored 8 goals in 12 appearances.
Watkins turns 30 at the end of this year and you would think this could be the last summer where Villa are able to cash in on him for a big fee. However, if he continues to put in the performances he is capable of then there is no reason why Villa would want to let him go as Watkins has the ability to turn games on their heads.
