Arsenal 'plan to submit new Ollie Watkins bid after playing on his heartstrings'

Arsenal plan to revisit their interest in Ollie Watkins in the summer with a new bid after their late-January offer was dismissed by Aston Villa.

This is according to former Villa, Man United and Tottenham scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that Villa were not prepared to entertain his exit at that stage of the window.

After Jhon Duran's move to Al-Nassr, and with the £60million offer for Watkins coming in the late stages of the window, any deal for the 29-year-old was considered a non-starter.

However, they could be more open to offers come the summer when they will have more time to find a suitable replacement and invest the money into the squad.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are long-term admirers of Watkins and view him as an alternative to Kai Havertz given their differing styles when leading the line.

The Aston Villa and England striker's direct play and willingness to run in behind and drift out wide is regarded as a valuable asset at the Emirates.

There are a number of strikers on their radar, but there is a growing feeling that the deal for Watkins could be completed in the summer should they decide to revisit.

Arsenal plan new Ollie Watkins bid after January transfer twist

Football Insider revealed on 31 January that the Gunners are attempting to play on the heartstrings of the boyhood Arsenal fan to convince him to make the move.

Brown, who played a key role in bringing Watkins to Villa Park in 2020 and has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment, insisted that the striker would be a good fit for Arsenal and labelled the deal "one to keep an eye on".

"I'm a huge fan of Ollie Watkins," he told Football Insider.

"I kept on about getting him when I was at Villa and eventually they made it happen.

"One of the reasons for that is he's happy to make runs in behind. There are too many strikers now who want the ball to feet and drop into midfield.

"But Watkins likes to spin in behind, drift out wide and he's very direct with his play.

"That's what Arsenal will have looked at, because he's a different sort of striker to Kai Havertz and would offer them something different to lead the line.

"Villa turned down the move in January because they'd already let Duran go, so to lose both of their key strikers was a complete non-starter.

"And the timing of it as well, there was no way that bid would've been accepted at that stage.

"I do think, though, they'll revisit the move in the summer because he is a player Arsenal want and one they've been looking at for a long time.

"So that situation will be one to keep an eye on and I'd expect Villa would be more open to his exit in the summer when they have more time to bring in a replacement."

In other news, Arsenal in pole position to beat Man City to new signing.

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