Arsenal would have had a stronger chance of signing Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa if Al Nassr had proceeded with their plan to acquire Victor Boniface from Bayer Leverkusen during the January transfer window.
The Gunners ultimately failed to bring in any new players during the winter market, despite manager Mikel Arteta’s desire to sign a forward following injuries to Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus.
According to The Athletic, Arsenal held discussions with Villa over a potential deal for Watkins, but no agreement was reached. Talks about a possible transfer first emerged when the two clubs met in the Premier League on January 18.
Villa were open to selling either Watkins or Jhon Duran, as manager Unai Emery struggled to fit both strikers into his starting XI. In an effort to address the club’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) concerns, Emery was willing to offload one of them.
While Villa were already negotiating Duran’s sale with Al Nassr, they would have been open to selling Watkins to Arsenal for £60 million. The striker, a lifelong Arsenal fan, was eager to join the North London club.
On January 27, Arsenal submitted an initial £40 million bid, which Villa swiftly rejected. The Gunners planned to increase their offer, but when Al Nassr chose to finalize a deal for Duran instead of Boniface, Villa took Watkins off the market.
As a result, Arteta is now left with Kai Havertz as his primary option upfront for the remainder of the season. While Leandro Trossard can also play as a striker, using him in that role would further deplete Arsenal’s options on the wings, especially with Saka still sidelined.