Aston Villa manager Unai Emery said he does not want Ollie Watkins to leave the club amid interest from Arsenal, but said if Jhon Durán completes his move to Al Nassr then it is “good news” for the club as it shows they are doing the right things in terms of developing players.
Emery was speaking after Aston Villa secured their spot in the knockout stages of the Champions League following a 4-2 win over Celtic.
A hat trick from Morgan Rogers and another from Watkins saw Villa take eighth place in the standings, and therefore avoid a playoff.
However, the evening was dominated by talk of Villa’s two strikers.
Sources told ESPN just hours before kick-off that Arsenal had a bid rejected for Watkins, while The Athletic reported at the start of the match that Duran was set for a medical with Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr ahead of a move in the region of €77 million ($80m).
When asked about Arsenal’s interest in Watkins, Emery said: “I don’t want [him to leave]. We want to keep our sporting objective through the players we have in the squad. Every player can be in the market in case it’s good for the player, club and team, but to get this deal, we have to be very demanding as well. Ollie Watkins is our striker.”
🚨🟡🔵 Jhon Durán to Al Nassr, here we go! Story from earlier tonight confirmed as documents are being prepared.
Aston Villa to receive €77m fixed fee plus add-ons, long term deal accepted by Durán.
Medical booked tomorrow and then he will travel to Saudi right after ✈️🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/m3SN6ots84
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 29, 2025
