Ollie Watkins’ Championship heroics at Brentford have caught the eye of Premier League pair Sheffield United and Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace and Sheffield United could be ‘priced out’ of a January deal for Ollie Watkins, with West London Sport claiming that Brentford are now demanding more than £20 million for their goal-scoring talisman.
Only two players in the Championship have scored more goals this season than a former Exeter City winger who has been nothing short of a revelation since being converted into a centre-forward by Bees boss Thomas Frank.
With 13 in 22 games, Watkins is enjoying the best season of his career, stepping into a Neal Maupay-shaped void in the Brentford attack and even netting a hat-trick of headers in a September victory over Barnsley.
According to West London Sport, the second-tier promotion pushers have now increased Watkins’s price-tag ahead of the January transfer window; meaning he is now worth in excess of £20 million.
The report adds that long-standing suitors Crystal Palace and Sheffield United were expected to make a move for the 23-year-old next month. But they could be forced to shelve their interest, with Watkins’ new price tag likely to be out of their reach.
Sheffield United, flying high under Chris Wilder, would have to double the current club-record fee they paid for Lys Mousset to bring Watkins to Bramall Lane while Palace have hardly splashed the cash in recent transfer windows.
But with Roy Hodgson making a public plea for new signings, with a lethal centre-forward so clearly needed at Selhurst Park, they could do worse than to back their manager with Brentford’s latest man-in-demand.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
