Exclusive: First step detailed for Ollie Watkins amidst Arsenal interest

It seems that Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is a wanted man, with reported interest from Arsenal not dying down.

Whether a move back to London would suit the 27-year-old isn’t clear at this stage, and a lot will depend on the Villains standpoint in any event.

Unai Emery would surely be loathe to lose the striker – 42 goals in his Villa career so far per WhoScored – and particularly to a direct rival in the Gunners.

There’s a lot of toing and froing to be done before that even becomes a possibility, and Fabrizio Romano, writing in his exclusive Daily Briefing column, has detailed the first steps.

‘Aston Villa want to offer Ollie Watkins a new deal and the player will listen to their proposal before anything else happens,’ he wrote.

‘That’s the first step for sure, and then we will see where they will go from there.’

Of course, there are expected to be other strikers on the market in due course, including Ivan Toney, who is expected to move from current employers, Brentford.

He’s unlikely to come cheap but is virtually a guarantee of goals so it’s entirely understandable why the Gunners might be sounding out the player and his representatives at this stage.

Given that it’s only September, there’s plenty of things that can happen between now and January, loss of form, injuries being just two that could affect any pursuit.