Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins is reportedly on the verge of signing a new five-year contract with the club.
The 27-year-old’s current deal runs until June 2025, but there has been talk for some time now over the potential of new terms being agreed to extend his stay at Villa.
READ MORE: Big test for Villa squad players as Emery continues to set challenge
Given the absence of any official news by way of an announcement, there has been slight concern that there are perhaps issues in those negotiations between Watkins and the club, but it’s now been suggested a new contract is close to being agreed.
As per The Athletic, Watkins is on the verge of putting pen to paper on a new five-year contract, which in turn will keep him at Villa until 2028. It’s added that the deal is now being finalised and an official announcement should soon follow.
Since arriving from Brentford in September 2020, the England international has been a fundamental part of our progress, having scored 50 goals and provided 16 assists in 128 appearances.
Aside from those goal involvements, his defensive work ethic to lead by example from the front, his movement and pace to stretch defences and his overall influence on our way of playing has been pivotal to where we are now.
With a number of the core members of the squad under contract from 2027 onwards, it was vital that Villa were able to add Watkins to that group, as he will undoubtedly continue to play a major role for Unai Emery.
He has certainly stepped up and taken his game to the next level under the Spaniard since he arrived last year, and it would come as no surprise if he was a key reason behind his decision to sign a new deal.
We’ll hopefully have that announcement sooner rather than later, and that in turn will free up Watkins to focus on his football, and continue to spearhead our pursuit of success moving forward, both domestically and in Europe.
