Ollie Watkins has told Unai Emery he wants to stay at Aston Villa. The England international - subject of a £40million bid from Arsenal - has spoken to the Spaniard about his future. And Emery, fresh from offloading striker Jhon Duran for £77.5m to Al-Nassr, has confirmed that the 29-year-old will not be moving before the closure of this transfer window. Asked if he had that commitment from his key striker, Villa’s boss said: “Yes, he is happy to stay. You can ask him, but we asked him how he is feeling every day, every year he has been here with Aston Villa, with us and without us. He is happy to stay.".

Asked to elaborate, Emery added: “The commitment of Ollie Watkins with us is a huge commitment, he appreciates a lot how Aston Villa was always supporting him, helping him, and when we joined him here two years ago, how we worked with him, always trying to get the best of him. “Now we need him, like he needed Aston Villa. The conversation we are having usually, I am speaking with him a lot, he is always adapting of every circumstance we have in the squad and individually with him.

“When there are some teams calling us being interested in the players, of course it is very good for us and very good for the players. “Some players prefer to leave and some players accept to stay here, to be here and commit with us here and to be with our challenge. One of those is Ollie Watkins.”. Speaking following Villa's Champions League win over Celtic on Wednesday night, Emery revealed his determination to keep Watkins - but admitted Duran’s exit is a good deal for the club.

Asked if he could say for certain Watkins would not be sold, the Spaniard said: “I don’t want (him to leave). It is good news to have offers from other clubs. We want to keep our sporting objective through the players we have in the squad. “Every player can be in the market if it is good for the player and the club. To get this deal we are going to be demanding. Watkins is our striker.” Emery said he wanted Duran to stay at the club but that it represents a good deal, with the player also wanting to move on.

“Our players are interesting other clubs and as well [they are] paying good money for us,” he added. “But of course our objective here is to keep our structure intelligently because we want to be on the sports side on the level we are and to keep it for a long time is the most difficult challenge we have. “Of course sometimes we have to do it, maybe sell some players and as well change and try to continue improving always. I don’t know exactly until everything is done if Jhon Duran is leaving but if he is leaving it is good news for us because it means they are paying good money.

“Because we have developed one young player in two years to get this offer. It is not only for the club, it is the club, the players and team, those circumstances can be positive. Club, the player and the team.”. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.