Arsenal have £80m transfer open goal as star was left 'fuming' with manager

may have a clear pathway to signing after the striker admitted he was "fuming" with manager Unai Emery. The Gunners had a in January, with the Villans reportedly unwilling to sell the England international for less than £80m.

Watkins joined Villa from Brentford in 2020 and has gone on to net 86 goals in 218 appearances for the west Midlands giants. The 29-year-old has been key to Villa's upturn in fortunes over the last couple of seasons, with his side cementing their return to Champions League football this season courtesy of a fourth-place league finish last term.

Watkins started all but one of Villa's matches in the Premier League and Champions League before December, despite the fact Jhon Duran was pushing for a place in the team.

But he was named on the bench for both legs of Villa's Champions League quarter-final showdown with Paris Saint-Germain this month and featured for a total of 25 minutes in those matches as on-loan Marcus Rashford led the line.

And during an interview with Sky Sports at the weekend, Watkins explained: "The Champions League, we've put in a lot of hard graft over the last few years to get to that position and obviously I played 20 minutes against PSG in both games. So I'm not going to lie - I was fuming I wasn't playing.

"I let him (Emery) know that. He's the manager at the end of the day and you've got to respect his decision. But I'm not one of the players happy to sit on the bench."

Watkins still has another three years on his Villa contract but is clearly no longer a guaranteed starter.

And Emery could now be willing to entertain offers for the Englishman in the summer, especially if the likes of Rashford and fellow loanee Marco Asensio remain at the club next season.

Arsenal could take advantage of the situation by diving in with a fresh transfer proposal. And Villa may no longer be holding out for a fee of £80m if they don't see Watkins as indispensable.

Watkins could transform the Arsenal attack with his calm head and finishing abilities in front of goal, with the Gunners faltering at times in the final third this season after being rocked by injuries to Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

But Mikel Arteta's side may face competition for Watkins' signature from other top clubs in the Premier League.

Manchester United and Liverpool have both been linked with the blockbuster star, while rival clubs could also test the waters in the coming months.