West Brom & Aston Villa plot swoop to sign striker amid recent BBC Sport update – reports
West Brom and Aston Villa are plotting swoops to sign Brentford striker Ollie Watkins this summer but could face a great deal of competition, according to the Daily Mail.
BBC Sport have reported that Watkins, 24, is available for £18million this summer after Brentford missed out on promotion to the Premier League by losing the Championship play-off final to Fulham at Wembley on Tuesday.
It is understood in the BBC’s report that Crystal Palace are leading the race to sign Watkins at this stage but the Mail adds that West Midlands rivals West Brom and Villa are also considering moves to sign the former Exeter forward.
Watkins scored 26 goals in 50 appearances across all competitions for Brentford last season as they finished third in the Championship standings.
Slaven Bilic’s strikers failed to score anywhere near as many goals as the Baggies finished second and secured automatic promotion with Charlie Austin finishing as the club’s top scorer with 11 goals in all competitions.
As well as Austin, Bilic has Kenneth Zohore and Hal Robson-Kanu as his other striker options but none of them really show they are good enough to score at least 10 goals in the Premier League next season.
Kevin Phillips has previously told West Brom News that Watkins is a striker who he believes can shine in the Premier League thanks to his deadliness in front of goal, his pace and ability to hold the ball up.
Albion have strikers who are good at hold-up play but other than that, they lack in the other areas which Phillips sees as key for a top Premier League striker.
In other West Brom news, the Baggies are set to bid £7.2million for this international attacker.
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