Sheffield United will apparently meet the £18m release-clause for Ollie Watkins this summer, but face competition from both Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
Watkins rounded out his season with a losing effort in the playoff final last night, as Fulham saw off the Bees 2-1 at Wembley. And according to The Telegraph, that loss means a release-clause of £18m has now come into effect for the striker.
With 26 goals, Watkins is bound to be a man in-demand and the £18m will not put off Premier League clubs, despite the drop in funds going into clubs this summer thanks to the global economic downturn.
Chris Wilder has previously hinted that big-money deals will be off the table. However, with a striker a number one priority at Bramall Lane, it would appear the Blades boss is keen on pursuing a deal for the Brentford ace.
The perfect signing but Villa will pay more in wages – Our View
No Blades fan will turn around and say that they don’t want Ollie Watkins in S2. In fact, he’s probably top of the list for most Unitedites if they had a choice of landing anyone this summer.
The unfortunate thing for the Blades is the fact that Aston Villa seem to chuck silly money at signings. They’d no doubt offer more in wages to the Brentford star.
It remains then, for Chris Wilder to try and work his magic if we are to land Watkins. Hopefully, he will see what the club is building and can be convinced by Wilder’s impressive achievements with United thus far.
If Wilder and Stephen Bettis can pull this one off, then we’ll have some extremely happy United fans heading into this season!