Manchester United are interested in signing Ollie Watkins but are unwilling to meet Aston Villa’s valuation of the striker. Arsenal made numerous bids for the England international in January but were knocked back as Villa held out for £60m, a fee they would demand for any sale this summer.
Ruben Amorim has been seeking a new striker given the struggles of both Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirzkee last season. Another option is RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko. Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson is no longer part of the thinking at Old Trafford.
Aston Villa insist Watkins is not for sale and are in a position of strength as his contract runs until 2028, meaning it would take an extremely high offer for them to consider parting ways. It would also be difficult for the club to find a replacement with the new season a little more than a fortnight away. United value Watkins at between £40m and £45m, which is similar to what Arsenal were offering in January.
Sesko is seven years Watkins’ junior, arguably making him a better long-term prospect. But Leipzig are thought to want almost £80m for the Slovenian, who scored 13 goals in the Bundesliga last season. Sesko is thought to also be a target for Newcastle as they face uncertainty over Alexander Isak’s future.
United have already spent in excess of £130m on signing Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha this summer and focus will turn to offloading some of their unwanted players. Marcus Rashford’s wages have been taken off the books after he joined Barcelona on loan but Antony, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Tyrell Malacia remain. If United want to acquire a new striker, bringing in fees from the sales of these four will be imperative.
The club, meanwhile, have made a key appointment, hiring Mike Sansoni as head of data, replacing Dominic Jordan who left last year. Sansoni arrives from Mercedes Formula One team, of which Sir Jim Ratcliffe owns a third, where spent 11 years, mostly working as a senior performance engineer. He will be responsible for “transforming the club’s capabilities in data and artificial intelligence”. Furthermore, Kirstin Furber will arrive as director of people in the autumn from Channel 4.
