Arsenal 'preparing summer bid for Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins'
Despite boasting a staggering 21 goals from their last five Premier League games — including 11 from their last two — it is no secret that the Gunners are targeting a marquee number nine for 2024-25.
Mikel Arteta allowed Folarin Balogun to depart permanently for Monaco last summer, leaving Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah as his two recognised central options, but injuries and inconsistency have plagued the former.
Nketiah has also been consigned to a backup role under Arteta, and Leandro Trossard has been preferred in the number nine role for fixtures with West Ham United and Burnley, scoring in both of them.
Kai Havertz — regularly deployed at the tip of the Chelsea attack — has featured up front for Arsenal on occasion this term, but the German predominantly arrived to plug the gap in midfield left by Granit Xhaka's move to Bayer Leverkusen.
In spite of Trossard's recent feats in front of goal, the Belgian is not considered a long-term solution to Arsenal's number nine quandary, and the Gunners did not spend a single penny in January with Financial Fair Play and their summer striker pursuit in mind.
According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, Gunners chiefs have now decided to prioritise a deal for Aston Villa marksman Watkins and are preparing to lodge an official bid for the Englishman this summer.
The former Brentford man has been integral to the Lions' push for Champions League football in the 2023-24 campaign, hitting double figures in both goals (13) and assists (12) from 25 top-flight matches.
Despite the additional fatigue from Europa Conference League football, Watkins has made the starting lineup in all of Aston
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