Arsenal have left it late in the transfer window but they are trying to sign a striker. It was the case before Gabriel Jesus was ruled out for the season with injury and is still the case now.

The timing of the news of a bid for Ollie Watkins should not be confused, however. Aston Villa are understandably furious that it made its way into the public just hours before Wednesday night's Champions League clash with Celtic.

football.london understands that the offer, a £60million opener from Arsenal, was not made on the same day but actually came previously. It suggests that Arsenal have certainly not left it quite to the last minute as it initially seemed.

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Either way, a second bid has not yet been made although it is expected. Arsenal have tested the water and although they know it is a tough deal to pull off - something not helped by Villa also agreeing to sell Jhon Duran - they are not going to give up on it just yet.

The clock is still ticking. Even with an extended January window running until Monday, February 3, there is not much time. Arsenal welcome Manchester City on Sunday, as well, to complicate matters further.

In an ambitious world, they have until Saturday at 12pm to register Watkins as their player following a transfer. Should a deal be completed, Arsenal have until midday on the day before a game in order to have that player eligible.

As opposed to Liverpool, who are in action at 3pm on Saturday, the deadline is longer for Arsenal. Chelsea take on West Ham at 8pm on Monday and can register new players up to 12pm on Sunday for that.

It means that there is certainly some room to play with but not loads, especially as Villa themselves are preparing to take on Wolves at Molinuex on Saturday afternoon. They are standing firm over Watkins and do not want to lose him.

Unai Emery's side are, though, looking at options in attack and are reportedly one of the many clubs in for Mathys Tel, along with Arsenal. Villa are keen on Joao Felix from Chelsea, as well.

In another piece of good luck, should Watkins decide to move to the Emirates Stadium, he would be able to play in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Newcastle. The game is set to be played next week at St James' Park with Arsenal needing to overturn a 2-0 deficit away from home.

Watkins didn't play in either of Villa's two matches in the competition - a 2-1 win over Wycombe in the third round and then a defeat to Crystal Palace by the same scorline. That means he isn't cup-tied, like on-loan goalkeeper Neto, who did play for Bournemouth before completing his summer deadline day switch.

Arsenal, if they do manage to get a Watkins transfer over the line, will certainly be keen to call on his services in that competition. He would also be able to be added to the Champions League squad for the knockout stages despite playing for Villa in the group phase.

A maximum of three new players can be added to UEFA squad lists before the next round. The deadline to finalise that is on February 6. In a parallel universe, Arsenal wouldn't have been able to use Watkins in either of the January league phase matches in Europe even if a move had been completed.

Due to the extended nature of this year's competition, clubs have to wait until after the group stage to add new players. This is why Manchester City were not able to use Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reiss, or Omar Marmoush in either of their final games.

Fortunately for Arsenal there was no such disappointment with Watkins. They now know that there is a strict cut-off prior to deadline day to get him registered for Manchester City on Sunday. If not, the normal 11pm scramble will suffice on Monday before a potential debut against Newcastle.

There is work to do for Arsenal in order to make it all happen. The tantalising prospect of seeing him in a red shirt so soon may well be all the motivation that is needed.