Man Utd enter talks to sign 17-goal striker

Manchester United have opened initial talks with Aston Villa over a potential deal for Ollie Watkins, according to The Athletic.

The Red Devils were keen on landing Liam Delap from Ipswich Town earlier this summer, but he opted to join rivals Chelsea instead.

Since then, the club have been linked with plenty of names in the transfer market, but most of them are out of their affordability range.

Victor Osimhen's wages are deemed to be excessive while Hugo Ekitike is unaffordable due to the €100m fee set by Eintracht Frankfurt.

Manager Ruben Amorim would like a reunion with Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres, but he is holding out for a move to Arsenal instead.

Amidst this, Watkins has now emerged as a possible striker solution.

The England international netted 17 goals and provided 14 assists for Villa last term. He was on the radar of Arsenal at the start of the year.

Arsenal were reluctant to pay more than £40 million. Villa wanted at least £60m for his exit and may hold out for a similar package.