Aston Villa has turned down an offer from Arsenal for England striker Ollie Watkins.
According to sources who spoke to BBC Sport, Arsenal inquired about the 29-year-old on Monday. Reports of a £60 million bid from the Gunners surfaced just hours before Aston Villa’s Champions League match against Celtic at Villa Park on Wednesday night.
Watkins played in the game, scored a goal, but also missed a strange penalty after slipping in the second half.
Villa has made it clear they have no plans to sell Watkins, especially amid ongoing speculation that fellow striker Jhon Duran could move to Saudi Arabia.
Sources also revealed that Villa is unhappy with the timing of Arsenal’s approach, as it came just before an important Champions League match and only a week before the January transfer deadline.
It remains uncertain whether Arsenal will make another bid before the transfer window closes on Monday at 11:00 PM GMT.
So far this season, Watkins has scored 11 goals in 32 games and recently netted the equalizer in Villa’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Since joining Villa from Brentford for £28 million in 2020, he has scored 80 goals in 200 appearances.
Arsenal is in search of a new striker before the transfer window closes, as Gabriel Jesus is sidelined with a serious knee injury sustained during their FA Cup loss to Manchester United.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said on Friday that the Gunners “need some help” in attack this season.
He said the club were “actively looking” to sign a striker who was able to “make an impact” after losing both Bukayo Saka and Jesus to long-term injuries.
“So we lack goals, we lack people, we lack options in the frontline, it’s clear,” Arteta said.
Arsenal is competing for the Premier League title for the third straight season but currently trails Liverpool by six points. Liverpool also has one game in hand.
Meanwhile, the Gunners have been linked with RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko and Wolves forward Matheus Cunha as they continue their search for a new attacker.