Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins could sign a new deal at the club this summer, according to a key update from transfer expert Dean Jones.
When is Watkins out of contract at Villa?
The Villans ended up having an excellent season, with the arrival of Unai Emery transforming their fortunes, as they qualified for next year's UEFA Europa Conference League.
There were many players who did their bit throughout the campaign, but Watkins was arguably Villa's star man, producing some inspirational attacking performances. The £75,000-a-week attacker finished the 2022/23 season with a tally of 15 goals and six assists in the Premier League and the hope is that he stays put for years to come.
The 27-year-old's current deal expires in the summer of 2025, meaning the club may just start to be growing a little twitchy about nailing him down to an extension, with his price tag possibly diminishing the closer his contract gets to ending.
Could Watkins sign new Villans deal?
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones said that Watkins could well extend his stay at Villa Park in the near future, acting as a potentially huge boost for the club:
"I think after [Youri] Tielemans, the forward line is what's going to become very interesting. There's potential for Ollie Watkins to get another contract soon."
This would be an enormous positive for Villa if Watkins commits his long-term future to the club – it would arguably be as important as any new summer that arrives during the summer transfer window.
The Englishman is at the absolute peak of his powers right now, having been hailed as "outstanding" by former Villa manager Dean Smithy recently, and there is no reason why his game can't reach another level under Emery over the next two or three years.
Many top strikers don't hit their prime until around 30, with the likes of Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski going strong well into their 30s, among others, and Watkins could grow even more with superior players alongside him, assuming some exciting additions come in this summer.
The hope is that the Englishman is only getting started at Villa Park, in a career that has already seen him rack up 43 goals and 13 assists in 116 appearances to date, and it would be a surprise if he even considered leaving in the near future, considering what a thrilling time it is at the club with Emery at the helm.
