Ollie Watkins to Man Utd transfer sees Liverpool tactic replicated in negotiations

Aston Villa may be simply regurgitating a tactic already deployed by Liverpool this summer in insisting that Ollie Watkins is not for sale despite Manchester United's interest. While Ruben Amorim has secured the likes of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo in the current transfer window, it is clear that the Portuguese hopes to recruit a proven No. 9 ahead of the new campaign.

The Red Devils were linked with a move for Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres earlier in the window, only for the Swede to commit his future to Arsenal in a £63.7million deal. As a result, United are now said to be pondering the possibility of signing Watkins ahead of the new season.

However, it appears as though United have hit a stumbling block in their ambitions of signing the 29-year-old; the Villans have explained that he isn't for sale. Villa sources insist that Watkins will stay put this summer, although the club did value him at £60m in January when Arsenal showed their own interest, before backtracking when Jhon Duran left to join Al-Nassr.

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Whether Villa are serious in retaining Watkins, or if they are deploying mind-games to drive his price up, is up for debate at present, given that United are said to be unwilling to meet their previous £60m price tag and are looking at a more budget-friendly range of between £40m and £45m.

It wouldn't be the first time that such a tactic has been deployed this summer, with Liverpool stating Luis Diaz would remain at Anfield before changing their tune completely. Barcelona expressed an interest in the Colombian last month and even reportedly entered a bid which was quickly rebuffed by the Reds.

Bayern Munich director of sport, Max Eberl, was reportedly told that Liverpool would not enter discussions over Diaz when the Bavarian's made their own approach earlier this summer. Regardless, Bayern submitted an offer of £58.5m for the winger which was quickly turned down, only to return with an improved sum of £65.5m which has since been accepted.

Bayern manager Vincent Kompany is said to have spoken with Diaz in a recent video call, where he outlined his plans for the 28-year-old in the Bundesliga. Diaz landed in Germany for a medical on Tuesday and is expected to be announced as Bayern's latest signing imminently.

With 16 goals and eight assists to his name in the Premier League last season, Villa may be simply playing hard-ball to get a better price for their star striker who has three years remaining on his current deal. However, there is also genuine concern that Villa don't have enough depth up top to let Watkins leave, given that he is the only genuine No. 9 on Villa's books at present.

Should Manchester United be unsuccessful in their endeavours to sign Watkins and take Villa's word as gospel, then they're not exactly short in terms of other options. The Red Devils are thought to be the front-runners in the race to sign RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, despite Newcastle United also showing a heavy interest considering Alexander Isak's wishes to explore a move away from St James' Park.

Leipzig reportedly value the 22-year-old, who scored 13 goals in the Bundesliga last season, at around £60m. Meanwhile, it is reported that United have also explored deals for PSG's Randal Kolo Muani and Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic this summer.

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