Arsenal's Ollie Watkins bid falls flat as Aston Villa green light huge Saudi transfer deal
Arsenal's Ollie Watkins bid falls flat as Aston Villa green light huge Saudi transfer deal
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Arsenal's hopes of signing Ollie Watkins before the transfer deadline have been shattered by interest in Jhon Duran from Saudi Arabia. It emerged on Wednesday night that the Gunners had seen a £60million bid for the Aston Villa striker rejected, though they were expected to return with a new proposal before the transfer window shuts on Monday night.
However, Duran is also attracting interest from a slew of suitors - and it's now emerged that he is poised to undergo a medical with Al-Nassr on Thursday ahead of completing a transfer worth €77million (£64.5m) plus add-ons, as revealed by The Athletic.
That switch would have major repercussions for Arsenal in their bid to prise Watkins away from Villa, who will not allow both strikers to leave this month. Duran was the subject of a £57m bid from West Ham earlier this month. But it was always outlined that the 21-year-old - who has been lethal off the bench this season - would only be allowed to leave for a huge bid such as the one currently on the table from Al-Nassr.
The Gunners have been tipped to act in the January window for weeks with Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka both injured. But it was thought their two main targets, Benjamin Sesko and Alexander Isak, were unattainable this month. Mikel Arteta is, however, a long-term admirer of Watkins, who has chalked up 100 goal contributions - 61 goals and 39 assists - in the Premier League since joining Villa.
