'On their list' - Aston Villa could make bold £32m Premier League striker raid amid Arsenal's Watkins interest

Aston Villa were busy in the January transfer window this winter. They brought in Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford, among others, to bolster their ranks.

Unai Emery’s side are currently sat in 9th place in the Premier League table. They reached the top four last season and are hoping to do the same again this year.

The Midlands outfit drew 1-1 at home to Ipswich Town last time out. Next up is another clash at Villa Park against Liverpool on Wednesday night.

Aston Villa eye Nicholas Jackson

Aston Villa have been backed to make a move for Chelsea striker Nicholas Jackson in the summer by their former scout Mick Brown. He is under contract at Stamford Bridge until June 2033.

Brown has told Football Insider: “I’ve never been convinced by him to be honest, I wouldn’t feel confident placing all my eggs in his basket to lead the line. But from an Aston Villa point of view, I could see them having a look at him. They’ve got Rashford at the moment, and if he performs to the best of his ability, it could be hard for them to keep hold of him long-term.

“Come the end of the season, let’s say they lose Rashford. Then, they’ve just lost Jhon Duran to Saudi Arabia, so that’s another option gone. Ollie Watkins is attracting interest from Arsenal as well. So if they’re left with limited options up front, they’re going to have to go into the market to find a new striker who can play regular games for them. If Jackson is available, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see them make a move for him.”

Jackson, 23, is a Senegal international with 19 caps under his belt. He joined Chelsea back in 2023 after catching the eye at Villarreal.

He has since made 68 appearances in all competitions and has scored 26 goals, nine of which have come this season. He found the net on 17 occasions during his first year in England with the Blues.

What now for Aston Villa?

Aston Villa were left frustrated by their draw with Ipswich and will be hoping for a better showing against Liverpool. Emery has said: “We are excited, how we will face them tomorrow. Now, Liverpool, they are the best team in Premier League, they are the best team in Europe and of course being very difficult.

“Our challenge tomorrow is how we can face them, how we can respond with our qualities against them, how we can play in this level trying to get confidence for ourselves. But we are excited, and hopefully we can share tomorrow an exciting moment with our supporters in Villa Park.”

He added: “We have to try to impose our gameplan, to dominate with our structure tactically and collectively, then trying to use our skilled players as well to get difference on the field against them in the duels and collectively.

“We will have to compete adapting of them, because of course tomorrow Liverpool, they are going to demand [from] us a lot about everything, tactically and individually.”