Aston Villa could lose a key player in the summer transfer window as he considers an exit from the club, with AC Milan very keen on snapping him up.
Unai Emery may have been daydreaming about the Premier League title not so long ago, but the reality of Villa’s season has been brought sharply into focus since.
Three wins from their last 10 league outings have allowed Villa’s Champions League-chasing pack to close the gap, and what was once a title conversation has contracted into an increasingly tense battle to hold fourth place.
However, Villa hold the cards, and are five points clear of Liverpool.
With seven games remaining and a Europa League quarter-final against Bologna also on the horizon, the stakes could not be higher — Champions League revenue is not a luxury for this club, it is a financial pillar.
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He could be snapped up for a bargain fee this summer.
Yet, as Emery works to secure that top-four berth on the pitch, questions are beginning to accumulate about the summer rebuild that awaits regardless of how the season ends.
And now amid those questions sits one of the most prominent players at Villa Park.
Ollie Watkins considering Aston Villa exit amid AC Milan interest
According to Sports Boom, AC Milan are actively courting Ollie Watkins ahead of the summer transfer window, with the Rossoneri indicating a genuine and concrete interest in the England striker’s services for next season.
The timing is significant.
Watkins, 30, was absent from Thomas Tuchel’s 35-man England squad for the recent friendlies against Uruguay and Japan during the international break — a very public signal that, at least in the national manager’s eyes, the Villa striker has fallen from the consideration bracket ahead of this summer’s World Cup.
For a player who was one of England’s best striking options when at his peak, the omission stings.
Watkins contributed 17 goals and 14 assists last season — the kind of output that had made him one of the most coveted strikers in the league.
This term, he has managed 10 goals and two assists across all competitions. The standards he set himself have made the relative decline more visible.
Man United were looking at Watkins before they ultimately moved for Benjamin Sesko instead, but Massimiliano Allegri’s side now pose another threat.
Their need is evident.
Despite sitting second in Serie A, they have scored fewer goals than any of the other top five sides — only Napoli have been more toothless.
They previously invested around £90m combined on Santiago Gimenez and Christopher Nkunku, neither of whom has consistently solved the problem.
Watkins himself remains under contract at Villa Park until 2028, but it is believed by Sport Boom that the striker could be eyeing an exit to revive his career amid Milan’s interest.
For Villa, the question is not simply whether to sell but whether they can replace him adequately while simultaneously competing on multiple fronts.
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The race is on…