Man United has just officially abandoned the Nicolas Jackson deal because they could not meet the amount of about 100 million pounds requested by Chelsea. Currently, the team is still looking for a new striker to replace Rasmus Hojlund. There are two targets being targeted at the same time, Ollie Watkins and Benjamin Sesko.
In addition to needing to push redundant players out of Old Trafford early to increase the transfer budget, Man United also need to consider tactical requirements in the coming time to see if Sesko or Watkins will be more suitable. They only have enough money to buy 1 person, so they have to consider very carefully.
As for Aston Villa, they said Ollie Watkins is not for sale. However, those in the scouting department of Man United did not think so. In January, Aston Villa offered the 29-year-old striker for around £60 million. Man United will not accept this price but will be able to pay if Villa reduce it to 40-45 million pounds.
Ollie Watkins has scored 75 goals in 184 Premier League games for Aston Villa, achieving double-digit goals in his last five seasons. He is considered by the Man United selection team to be the striker with the ability to become the most reliable source of goals. Watkins has 24 goals and assists in the 2024-2025 Premier League, behind only Alexander Isak (29) and Erling Haaland (25) among the strikers.
The price of recruiting Benjamin Sesko will be higher than Ollie Watkins. When the Slovene striker signed a new contract with Leipzig in 2024, he had an agreement that if a "top club" offered him a price of around 80 - 90 million Euros, Leipzig would allow Sesko to leave. Arsenal have abandoned the deal after struggling with negotiations and the total cost was too high.
One of the difficulties with the Ollie Watkins deal is that Aston Villa will need a timely replacement. Currently, the Villa Park team has not found anyone. Selling Watkins right now would be extremely risky because next season, Villa will not play in the Champions League, so it will be difficult to attract good strikers.
In case both Watkins and Sesko can negotiate immediately, perhaps Ruben Amorim will choose Watkins. So far, Man United's transfer business has seemed to prioritize attacking players who have been tested in the Premier League, the stars will not need time to adapt. From there, this factor will help captain Ruben Amorim soon bring Man United back to the top of the rankings.
Therefore, recruiting Watkins would be more reasonable. The England international scored 16 goals and provided 8 assists in 38 Premier League games last season, including 31 starts.
Over the past two years, Watkins has made great strides under Unai Emery. He used to be a talented winger but was unstable. Watkins has since been transformed by Emery and has become a formidable goalscorer, as well as a solid support for Aston Villa's attack.
If he moves to Man United, Watkins will become a threat to every Premier League defense, with all his skills from aerial action to finishing in the box. His runs behind the defense will also help Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha be more flexible in the opponent's third quarter.
