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West Ham to make £40m offer for Aston Villa striker
West Ham are eyeing a move for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, according to reports.
Watkins joined Aston Villa in 2020 from Brentford, departing the Bees after a very fruitful spell with the now Premier League outfit.
Following his switch to Villa, Watkins has scored 26 and assisted six in 73 outings across all competitions, with 10 of those goals coming in the 2021/22 campaign.
Now, as per Ekrem Konur, West Ham are ready to make a £40m offer for the striker:
? West Ham are ready to make a £40m offer for Aston Villa for Ollie Watkins. #WHUFC ⚒️ #AVFC pic.twitter.com/BNEPpcXaoL
— Ekrem KONUR (@Ekremkonur) May 11, 2022
Such a move would make a fair bit of sense given West Ham currently have just one senior striker on their books in the form of Michail Antonio.
And whilst Antonio is a decent player, he is very injury prone and struggles to deal with the demands of playing in a side that also has European football.
Whether Aston Villa are willing to sell to a direct rival remains to be seen, but £40m may be too much for them to refuse.
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Coutinho staying put
Elsewhere on the Villa front, they appear to be closing in on a permanent deal for Philippe Coutinho.
The attacking midfielder was said to have been available to Villa for £33m after he joined on loan from Barcelona, but recent reports suggest he will be available for a much lower fee:
Aston Villa are closing in on deal to sign Phillippe Coutinho permanently from Barcelona. https://t.co/VRDWU2Mv0w
— Sami Mokbel (@SamiMokbel81_DM) May 11, 2022
