Sources: Aston Villa willing to sell Ollie Watkins after fall-out
Aston Villa are willing to sell Ollie Watkins in the final weeks of the summer window, sources have told Football Insider.
The England international, 26, was a surprise omission from the Villa starting XI for the team's 2-0 opening-day Premier League defeat to Bournemouth.
It is believed manager Steven Gerrard has a tense relationship with Watkins and one well-placed source told us the pair "do not see eye to eye".
The Midlands giants had initially set aside funds this summer to recruit an A-list striker who would be an upgrade on 2020 and 2021 captures Watkins and Danny Ings.
But the club have so far prioritised other areas of the team, with centre-back Diego Carlos, playmaker Philippe Coutinho, defensive midfielder Boubacar Kamara, left-back Ludwig Augustinsson and back-up keeper Robin Olsen all arriving in the current window.
The possibility of the front man leaving by the 31 August cut-off has increased in recent weeks, and that has been exacerbated by his axe last weekend.
Gerrard opted for a 4-3-3 formation, with Coutinho and Leon Bailey flanking Ings in the front three. Watkins did come on as a sub with 24 minutes remaining.
Watkins has been a mainstay of the Villa starting XI since signing from Brentford in the summer of 2020 for a fee of £28million plus £5m of add-ons.
Watkins has scored 27 goals in 77 matches in all competitions for Villa during his two years at the club.
He endured a two-and-a-half month scoring drought last season, when his 33 Premier League starts among 36 appearances in all competitions yielded 11 goals and two assists.