Manchester United eye Aston Villa forward, Arsenal hand Arteta £200m transfer budget

TRANSFERS Manchester United eye Aston Villa forward, Arsenal hand Arteta £200m transfer budget

Kiplagat Sang • 06:00 - 04.05.2023

The clubs are preparing in earnest ahead of the summer transfer window before the new season begins.

Manchester United have identified Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins as a summer target.

Liverpool and Arsenal are the other clubs that have been linked with the England international, who has scored 15 goals across all competitions.

The Red Devils, who are set to sign a dependable goal scorer in the next transfer window, have emerged – ahead of the Gunners and the Reds - as the leading club to sign Watkins.

United have been heavily dependent on Marcus Rashford, and the arrival of another goal machine is expected to ease the pressure on the forward.

While United leads the race to sign the Villa star, he is a primarily left-sided forward, which means he might not be entirely deployed as a centre-forward; a position that needs to be filled at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are set to give Mikel Arteta a transfer warchest of around £200 million.

The Gunners are expected to feature in the Champions League, and a strengthened squad will make them more competitive.

The meeting that approved the decision to give Arteta the considerable budget for his transfer business reportedly involved Stan Kroenke, his son Josh, and the sporting director, Edu.

Their current squad is viewed as a young team, and many of the players have not competed in the Champions League, meaning experience will be a key factor as the Gunners go into the market.

Arsenal are said to be keen to bring in a centre-forward to challenge Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah, while Thomas Partey will also need a partner.

They have been linked with West Ham United’s Declan Rice, and the Hammers’ captain is set to cost a premium.