Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa is supposedly being chased by AC Milan, Arsenal, and Chelsea.
Due to the increasing demand for his skills, the former Brentford player recently signed a new contract at Villa Park, committing his future to Unai Emery’s team until the summer of 2028.
Watkins, 27, who has seven goals and four assists to his credit from 13 games this season, was renewed following a strong start to the campaign.
Watkins already has two hat-tricks to his name in the new term, netting trebles against Hibernian in the Europa Conference League qualifiers and in a 6-1 pummelling of Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League.
The striker is the first Villa player since Andy Gray in the 1976-77 season to score multiple hat tricks in a single campaign for the Lions, while he also scored the winning goal for England in a 1-0 friendly victory over Australia last week.
Despite signing on the dotted line earlier this month, Watkins’s loyalty to Villa could be tested in 2024, as both Arsenal and Chelsea are thought to have taken a liking to him.
The London duo may face stiff competition for his signature, though, as according to Rai – via Milan News – Milan have also been alerted to Watkins’s exploits in the Premier League.
Michele Fratini – who works as an intermediary and scout in Italy – told the publication that the Rossoneri are keeping a close eye on the Englishman’s performances as they weigh up their attacking options.
Following the retirement of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Stefano Pioli‘s side added to their attacking ranks in the summer with the captures of Noah Okafor and Luka Jovic from Red Bull Salzburg and Fiorentina respectively.
However, 37-year-old Olivier Giroud has started the 2023-24 season as Pioli’s first-choice centre-forward, and he has continued to shine in Serie A with four goals and three assists from his opening seven top-flight games of the new term
Giroud’s contract was extended by a further year in April, but the former Arsenal and Chelsea man is due to become a free agent at the end of the current campaign, and it is unclear whether he will be handed another extension.
The veteran marksman was quizzed on his contract situation while attending a Snai event earlier this month, and while he stated that he is “happy” at San Siro, he is giving no thought to his future beyond the end of the new term.
“I’m not thinking about it at the moment, I’m focused on this year to do well for Milan. I’m always happy to be here, I’ve been since day one,” Football Italia quotes Giroud as saying.
Jovic also only agreed to a one-year contract when he joined Milan in the summer, and the former Real Madrid player has played just 128 Serie A minutes this year without scoring for the Rossoneri.
Milan will make its Serie A debut against Juventus in a titanic match on Sunday night. Pioli’s team will want to extend or retain its two-point lead over Inter Milan at the top of the standings.
