Ollie Watkins wants to stay at Aston Villa – Unai Emery

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery says Ollie Watkins wants to stay at the club after Arsenal made a bid for the striker.

Watkins was the subject of a rejected offer from the Gunners earlier this week, reported to be £60 million (€71,707,000).

The striker reacted by scoring in Wednesday’s Champions League win over Celtic, tellingly tapping the badge in celebration.

While fellow striker Jhon Duran is set to join Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr later on Friday in a deal worth up to £71million, Emery says Watkins will be staying at Villa Park.

“Yes, he is happy to stay,” the Spaniard said. “You can ask him, but we asked him how he is feeling every day, every year he has been here with Aston Villa, with us and without us.

“We talked with him and he is very focused on the message we have.

“The commitment of Ollie Watkins with us is a huge commitment, he appreciates a lot how Aston Villa was always supporting him, helping him and when we joined him here two years ago, how we worked with him, always trying to get the best of him.

“Now we need him, like he needed Aston Villa. The conversation we are having usually, I am speaking with him a lot, he is always adapting of every circumstance we have in the squad and individually with him.

“When there are some teams calling us being interested in the players of course it is very good for us and very good for the players.

“Some players prefer to leave and some players accept to stay here, to be here and commit with us here and to be with our challenge. One of those is Ollie Watkins.”

With Duran set to head out before Friday night’s transfer deadline in Saudi Arabia, Villa are looking for attacking recruitments.

They are interested in Chelsea’s Joao Felix and Paris St Germain’s Marco Asensio, but