‘On their watchlist’: Chelsea now considering move for ‘really clever’ Aston Villa player

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Chelsea are closely watching Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins as their potential spending spree looks set to continue.

Journalist Dean Jones was speaking about the England international via Give Me Sport.

Chelsea have been the biggest headline makers in the transfer window over the past 18 months.

Under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, Chelsea are closing in on £1bn in spending.

Their focus has been on poaching the best young talent from around the world.

New manage Mauricio Pochettino has one of the youngest squads in the Premier League now.

However, that hasn’t converted into results just yet, with Chelsea currently sitting 12^th in the league.

Chelsea need a centre-forward and Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is on their shortlist.

At 27, the ‘really clever’ attacker would be one of the oldest signings Chelsea’s new owners has ever made.

However, they need some experience to go alongside their exciting youngsters and Watkins could be the ideal man.

Chelsea have Villa forward Watkins on their watchlist

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones said: “This is a key time for Watkins in determining how his career progresses.

“I think Villa is a great club for him right now, and there will be conversations coming about his contract because Villa can’t let that get into the final 18 months, as that’s when offers start to land, and players can get itchy feet.

“Over the summer, there were messages coming out of the club that they were happy with him as the main forward.

“He hasn’t scored yet in the league, and as a forward, the longer that drags on, you can start to become concerned, but Watkins knows this style of play and is trusted in the system.

“I haven’t heard that he is being prioritised for a transfer any time soon, but it would be strange if he was not on the radar of clubs like Chelsea or Tottenham Hotspur as they ponder what their attacking options are going to be.

“Chelsea have him on the watchlist, but we need to see what happens in terms of him committing himself to Villa. If he doesn’t do that, then there will be a fear he leaves.”

Chelsea could do a lot worse than signing Watkins from Villa, but Unai Emery won’t want to let him go easily.

He’s an incredibly hard-working player and although he hasn’t scored in the league this season, he produces plenty of chances for his teammates.

Watkins has been backed to outscore the likes of Gabriel Jesus this season and his pace has caused some serious issues already.

Villa might spot an opportunity to cash in on Watkins and reinvest the money given the cash being thrown around by Chelsea right now.

Top-level centre-forwards are hard to come by right now though and replacing the 27-year-old wouldn’t be easy.