Man United and Arsenal ready to compete for England star as record deal nears completion
Manchester United and Arsenal are both thinking about a big move to sign an England star that could really change their season. The 2026/27 Premier League season is coming up fast, and transfer rumors across the league are starting to heat up.
Since the World Cup happened over the summer, many teams have waited until closer to the start of the season to go after their main targets. We can expect some major deals to happen in the next few weeks.
So far, Arsenal, the current champions, have been pretty quiet. They’ve signed Illan Meslier as a backup goalkeeper on a free transfer and brought in Greece forward Christos Tzolis for £34 million to replace Leandro Trossard, who left. Manchester United have also been calm this summer. They picked up Karl Darlow for free and made two big midfield signings from Chelsea and Aston Villa—Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans—for a total of £85 million.
Now, there’s a new report saying both clubs might go head-to-head to sign Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa, as he could be on the move this summer. Watkins, 30, has attracted interest from clubs around Europe. Turkish club Fenerbahce was ready to offer £30 million and a three-year contract, but Villa didn’t want to accept what they saw as a low offer. Fenerbahce then decided not to bid at all.
According to The Sun, this might open the door for Arsenal and Manchester United. Both teams are watching Watkins closely because they might sell some of their strikers this summer. Gabriel Jesus is expected to leave Arsenal after playing just 14 Premier League games last season, and Watkins is said to be Mikel Arteta’s top choice to replace him.
At United, Joshua Zirkzee impressed in a recent pre-season win but is likely to leave, with Juventus and Roma interested. If Zirkzee goes, it could finally give Manchester United a chance to sign Watkins, who they’ve been linked with before.
Villa might want to sign another Premier League striker, which means they could be open to offers for Watkins starting at around £40 million. This summer, Villa has lost key players like Morgan Rogers, Tielemans, and Lucas Digne, but they’ve also signed Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes, Modou Keba Cisse, and Alejandro Garnacho.
On top of that, Villa are close to signing Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson for what could be a club record fee. Unai Emery, who managed Jackson at Villarreal, is keen to bring him in. The deal is said to be almost done, with the fee likely over £60 million. Once that signing is complete, Villa might be ready to sell Watkins.
So, keep an eye on Watkins’ future—it looks like he could be the subject of a big summer transfer battle between two of England’s biggest clubs!