Sheffield United could be forced to splash out around £25m in order to land Brentford striker, Ollie Watkins, this summer.
(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Watkins is the talk of many a Blades fan following Brentford’s loss at Wembley last week. Along with Said Benrahma, it is widely expected that the Bees will lose Watkins.
Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are keen, while United have been admirers of the forward for some time.
However, despite our reports a few days ago that an £18m release clause was in Watkins’ contract, the Birmingham Mail now claims that Brentford is asking for around £25m as they play down talk of such a clause.
(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
That sort of money would eclipse the club-record fee the Blades splashed out on Sander Berge in January.
And with Chris Wilder admitting a few weeks back that big-money signings were probably unlikely, it could well mean United end up dropping out of the running for Watkins.
This one will rumble on, Watkins will end up leaving – Our View
There’ll be plenty of talk about the Brentford man until he does decide on his next move. He’s going to end up in the Premier League, it will just be a case of where.
The Blades offer a good option for him. A club on the up, with a passionate manager who won’t settle for standing still and seeing things tail off next term. United also need a new striker, so Watkins will fit nicely.
But money could be an issue. Villa will once again be splashing the cash, while Palace is an established PL team and not too far from where Watkins is based at the moment.
It will certainly be interesting to see this one pan out. Although at £25m, it could well be a step too far for the Blades.
