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Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins would ‘bite your arm off’ to join Chelsea this summer, according to former Premier League defender Glen Johnson.
Watkins has been tentatively linked with a move away from Villa Park after his superb season under Unai Emery and his limited but bright impact for England at Euro 2024.
The 28-year-old enjoyed his best campaign to date last season, scoring 19 goals and making 13 assists to help Aston Villa finish fourth in the Premier League and qualify for the Champions League for the first time.
It looked like Watkins would endure a frustrating and uneventful Euro 2024 campaign as he played back-up to Harry Kane but the Villa man came off the bench to score a brilliant and dramatic winner in the semi-final win over the Netherlands.
Watkins’ impact has only increased speculation a top European club will approach Aston Villa with an offer this summer and Johnson ‘can definitely see’ him moving to Chelsea.
Chelsea, who replaced Mauricio Pochettino with Enzo Maresca at the end of the season, are in the market for a new striker to support Nicolas Jackson, who endured a mixed first 12 months at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have held long-time interest in Victor Osimhen but the Nigerian, currently at Serie A side Napoli, is also a target for French champions PSG.
Asked if he believes Watkins would be prepared to leave Aston Villa and give up on Champions League football to join Chelsea, Johnson told Betfred: ‘If he got the opportunity to sign for Chelsea I think he’d bite their arm off.
‘Aston Villa had a great season and qualified for the Champions League, but Chelsea’s still Chelsea and I’m sure they’ll bounce back. Ollie would definitely improve them and I can definitely see that deal happening.
‘I can see reasons for why he’d stay at Villa and for why he’d move to Chelsea. He didn’t get a lot of gametime at the Euros but when he got onto the pitch, England looked like a better team.’
Arsenal urged to sign Ollie Watkins
Chelsea are not the only club looking to sign a striker this summer, with Arsenal also keen to bolster Mikel Arteta’s attacking options ahead of the new season.
The Gunners were strongly linked with a move for Benjamin Sesko before he signed a new contract at RB Leipzig and should now move for Watkins, according to William Gallas.
‘For Arsenal, I like Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins,’ the ex-Premier League star told Lord Ping.
’He has the pace you need to have as a striker and with a player like Martin Odegaard in behind him it would just be magnificent, think of all the assists.
‘It’s so difficult to defend against players like Ollie Watkins because he’s so clever with his runs, with Odegaard they would do so much damage. If I was at Arsenal I’d choose him.’
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