Former Aston Villa scout Bryan King believes the club could be lining up the sale of either Ollie Watkins or Jhon Duran in the near future.
Watkins enjoyed a wonderful 2023/24 campaign, registering 27 goals and 13 assists across all competitions.
The 28-year-old already has three goals in five Premier League appearances this season following his heroics for England in their 2-1 Euro 2024 semi-final win over the Netherlands.
Duran, meanwhile, endured a tough first 18 months at Villa, scoring just eight goals in his first 49 appearances for the club.
However, the Colombia international has already netted four goals in five Premier League appearances at the start of this campaign, while adding another in Tuesday evening’s 2-1 win over Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Cup.
Could Aston Villa sell Watkins or Duran?
Despite the form of both players, CaughtOffside revealed recently that Villa are monitoring teenage Besiktas forward Semih Kilicsoy, who can play as both a striker and a winger.
It’s hard to imagine either Watkins or Duran settling for a place on the bench if they continue their current form and that situation could only become more complicated if another forward is added to the mix.
“These two lads are building confidence,” former Coventry and Millwall goalkeeper King — who has previously served as a scout at Villa, Tottenham and Everton — told Villa News.
“Therefore, I can’t see why you would want to bring in a brand-new centre-forward at this stage. However, does that point to the fact that maybe one of Watkins or Duran are moving on in January?
“It does certainly raise that question. However, I would definitely want to keep hold of both of them at the moment, they are scoring goals.”
Top photo by Ian Kington / AFP