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Report: How much Arsenal would actually have to pay to sign Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa
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01/30/2025 09:15 AM
Arsenal have left it late in the January transfer window, but they're now making their move.
Indeed, Arsenal made a bid for Ollie Watkins on Wednesday, but Villa duly rejected the offer for their star man.
Jhon Duran is heading to Saudi Arabia, and Villa aren't keen on the idea of losing both of their star strikers in a matter of days.
Villa aren't happy with Arsenal's bid for Watkins, and now, some further details regarding this transfer saga have emerged.
Indeed, The Telegraph have shared an update on how all parties now view this situation and what would have to be offered in order for a deal to be done.
- READ MORE: What Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice have said about Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins amid Arsenal interest
How much Ollie Watkins is valued at by Aston Villa
According to The Telegraph, Aston Villa now value Ollie Watkins at over £80m.
This report also notes that Arsenal's opening bid was closer to £45m than the £60m that was initially reported.
The striker is in red-hot form for Villa this season, scoring 10 goals already in the league.
Ollie Watkins Premier League stats this season | |
Games | 23 |
Goals | 10 |
Assists | 5 |
Arsenal believe Watkins is the ideal signing, and they're ready to go back in with a second bid.
However, Arsenal do realise that this deal will be difficult to do, and it's made even tougher by the fact that Jhon Duran is moving to Saudi Arabia too.
Thierry Henry is a fan of Watkins, and it's easy to understand why Arsenal are so keen on the striker.
At the age of 29, £80m would be a lot of money for Watkins.
Record transfers for players aged 29
In football, your transfer value reduces as you get older, and 29 year olds aren't exactly the types of players that teams usually spend big on.
Indeed, 29 is a funny age in that you're still very much in your prime, but it may not be long before your performances begin to dip.
In a world where transfers worth north of £50m are ten a penny, the record transfer for a 29-year-old isn't all that high.
Record transfers for 29-year-olds | Selling team | Buying team | Fee |
Diego Costa | Chelsea | Atletico Madrid | £57m |
Zinedine Zidane | Juventus | Real Madrid | £49m |
Hulk | Zenit St Petersburg | Shanghai SIPG | £45m |
Joao Palhinha | Fulham | Bayern Munich | £43m |
Fabinho | Liverpool | Al-Ittihad | £40m |
Nemanja Matic | Chelsea | Manchester United | £40m |
Zinedine Zidane is still the second-most expensive player to ever move at the age of 29, and that does go to show that teams often don't want to spend a lot of money on players in this age bracket.
Watkins would have to smash that record in order to get a move this month, but whether or not Arsenal are ready to do such a deal remains to be seen.