Ollie Watkins breaks silence on Arsenal speculation following '£60m' bid

Aston Villa will not sell Ollie Watkins before the end of the winter transfer window following a conclusive conversation between the striker and manager Unai Emery.

Fabrizio Romano leaked the news on Wednesday that Arsenal had submitted a £60 million bid to sign the centre-forward. It then later became clear to Birmingham World - thanks to a source close to Villa - that the offer was actually submitted on Monday and was closer to £45 million.

Nonetheless, Arsenal were expected to return with an improved proposal and Watkins, being a boyhood Gunners supporter, may have been tempted to jump ship. The understanding as of Thursday (January 30) was that Villa were uninterested in selling Watkins unless a huge offer was received and the player asked to leave.

Unai Emery confirms Ollie Watkins stance on joining Arsenal

As neither of those things have turned out happening - and both needed to - Watkins will be staying at Villa Park. Emery, who was very honest about transfers after the 4-2 win over Celtic on Wednesday, was equally as open during his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The head coach has confirmed Watkins broke his silence to him this week, emphasising he was very happy to remain a Villa player despite interest from the club he supports.

“The commitment of Watkins with us is a huge commitment to defend Aston Villa,” Emery told The Athletic. “He appreciates a lot how Aston Villa was always supporting him, helping him.

“When we joined here two years ago, how we worked with him — we are always trying to get the best of him. Now we need him, like he needed Aston Villa in the last years. The conversations we are having with him, he’s always adapting to every circumstance we have.

“Of course when some teams call us being interested in the players, it’s very good for us. Some players prefer to leave. Some players accept to be here and commit to us here and one of them is Ollie Watkins.

“He’s happy to stay. You can ask him but we asked him how he’s feeling every day and every year with Aston Villa and he’s happy here.”

Jhon Duran, meanwhile, is still on track to join Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr in a stunning £64.5 million transfer plus significant add-ons. The Colombian passed a medical in London on Thursday and was scheduled to travel to Saudi on Friday to sign a five-and-a-half year contract to become Cristiano Ronaldo’s teammate.

In other news, Emery has two or three huge selection dilemmas for Saturday’s clash at Wolves.