Aston Villa, Cardiff City, Leeds United and Swansea City are among the frontrunners with bookmakers for Marley Watkins’ signature.
Marley Watkins of Barnsley
Barnsley lost a number of players in January, and could be facing more departures this summer after a strong first season back in the Championship.
Impressive displays from James Bree and Conor Hourihane saw them earn a January move to Barnsley, whilst star striker Sam Winnall moved on to join local rivals Sheffield Wednesday.
Manager Paul Heckingbottom will now be fearful of losing the likes of Marc Roberts, Angus MacDonald and Andy Yiadom over the summer, whilst midfielder Josh Scowen is out of contract.
Another player who can walk away for free along with Scowen is attacker Marley Watkins, who penned a two-year contract in 2015, and handed in a transfer request in January (Sky Sports) in a bid to force a move away.
It now seems that Watkins, who joined Barnsley from Scottish side Inverness Caledonian Thistle, will leave Oakwell at the end of the season – and having hit ten goals and seven assists in the Championship this season, he shouldn’t be short of offers.
The 26-year-old Welshman, who can play out wide or up front, started his career in the youth ranks with Swansea City, and Ladbrokes make the Swans second favourites (4/1) to sign Watkins on a free this summer.
Barnsley’s Marley Watkins celebrates
The current favourites of Swansea’s fierce rivals Cardiff City at 2/1, whilst Bristol City and Aston Villa are 5/1 and 6/1 respectively, with Sheffield Wednesday (7/1) and Leeds United (9/1) are a little further back.
A move to Villa could make some sense given that Steve Bruce should be searching for another winger, and a reunion with Bree and Hourihane could be appealing to the player himself, as could a move to Wales with Cardiff or Swansea.
Leeds may be in the market for another winger, given that Modou Barrow and Alfonso Pedraza are only on loan, and they can offer Watkins a stay in Yorkshire with a move to Oakwell, with competition unsurprisingly set to be strong for such an impressive attacker available on a free transfer.
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