Chelsea ‘approach’ Aston Villa for Ollie Watkins as dream deal crumbles – report

Harry Watkinson 02 May 2025 5:59 PM

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins with a Chelsea badge

Chelsea have reportedly ‘approached’ Aston Villa over signing Ollie Watkins and are ‘ready’ to pay the asking price, in case they miss out on their top striker target, Victor Osimhen.

The Blues are prioritising the signing of a new centre-forward as Enzo Maresca wants more competition for Nicolas Jackson, while Christopher Nkunku could leave this summer, too.

A host of exciting targets are being looked at by Chelsea. They were heavily linked with Osimhen last summer, but ultimately a deal never happened, largely due to the Napoli man’s huge wage demands of £250,000 per week.

According to Football Transfers, Chelsea have ‘approached Villa over the potential signing of Watkins in case a deal for Napoli striker Osimhen breaks down.’

The report claims that there are ‘fears’ that Osimhen’s demands will again block a Chelsea deal for him, even if he is expected to join a new club permanently once his loan with Galatasaray ends.

Chelsea are ‘exploring’ a move for Watkins as a result, and it’s stated that Villa would sanction his sale for £60m this summer.

The Blues are ‘willing to match this’, despite Watkins ‘not being the typical profile of a BlueCo signing as he is 29 years old.’ One thing Watkins does have is goals in his locker, having notched 15 in the Premier League so far this term.

Osimhen very unlikely to join Chelsea this summer – sources

Watkins is undoubtedly a top player on his day and he drew serious interest from Arsenal in the January transfer window from Arsenal, who had a £40m bid instantly rejected by Villa.

Unai Emery was completely against selling the England international, given that Jhon Duran was all set to sign for Saudi club Al-Nassr at the time of the Gunners’ offer.

Watkins has played less consistently for Villa since Marcus Rashford’s loan move to the Midlands side, but he still remains a crucial player.

Chelsea may well be admirers of Watkins but whether Villa would sell is unclear, as they are under no pressure with the forward contracted until 2028.

TEAMtalk understands that Chelsea have other striker targets on their radar. As we have consistently reported, Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap figures very highly on their shortlist, while they’ve also scouted RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko extensively.

As for Osimhen, TEAMtalk contributor Ben Jacobs has already revealed his most likely destination – and it’s not Stamford Bridge.

We understand that a switch to Saudi Arabia is a concrete possibility for the Nigerian, given that they are willing to match his €75m (£64m) release clause AND pay him a whopping £750,000 per week.

Paris Saint-Germain could also be a club to watch for Osimhen, given they agreed personal terms with him last year, but didn’t get close to Napoli’s asking price.

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