Aston Villa are reportedly close to bolstering their forward line with the capture of Brentford striker Ollie Watkins.
According to The Telegraph, Dean Smith’s side have agreed a £28m fee for the forward, with add-ons potentially taking the deal up to £33m, making it one of the most expensive transfers out of the second tier of English football in history.
The Villans have been linked with the 24-year-old forward for some time, with the club desperate for more goals following a season in which they almost dropped straight back into the Championship.
With previous record signing Wesley suffering a season-ending injury and Mbwana Samatta failing to have much of impact following his arrival from Genk, Watkins represents a significant improvement having enjoyed his best season in front of goal last term. In 46 Championship appearances, he netted 25 goals as Brentford missed out on promotion by falling to Fulham in the play-off final.
He has been with Brentford for the past three seasons following a move from boyhood club Exeter City. In 143 appearances with the Bees, he has scored 49 goals.
Having narrowly avoided relegation last term, Villa are once again one of the favourites to suffer the drop this time around. They sit at a price of 2/1 with William Hill to be relegated at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.