Ollie Watkins to Arsenal has become a huge talking point for the final days of the January transfer window, but with just three days left to get the deal over the line, the move is looking less and less likely. Arsenal have been linked with moves for Watkins for much of the past two-and-a-half years and their interest has ramped up with his consistent goal-scoring in the Premier League, and the Gunners are reported to have made around a £60 million bid to try and sign the England international.

Now, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has chipped in on the matter and it's not looking good for Arsenal fans. With Villa already offloading striker Jhon Duran to Al Nassr, if Watkins were to go, Emery's side may be lacking in the goals department.

And Fabrizio Romano has reported that Emery has privately asked the board to allow him to keep Watkins this window. Posting to YouTube he said: "Arsenal are looking for an offensive player. They want Ollie Watkins. The first bid was rejected but at the moment, Aston Villa insist that they want to keep the player.

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"Unai Emery told the board that he absolutely wants Ollie Watkins to stay. So, either Arsenal will do something very big, I would say almost crazy, to reach an agreement for Ollie Watkins, otherwise, they will look at other targets. And Mathys Tel could be very interesting."

Despite their first bid being turned down, it is widely thought the Gunners will be returning with a second bid to try and get the deal over the line before the window closes.

Although Arsenal's first offer was thought to have come on Monday, news of the bid came out just before Wednesday's crucial round of Champions League games - with the timing of the news said to have left Villa upset. While Villa have been linked with a move for Chelsea's Joao Felix, Arsenal's swoop for Watkins has come very late in the window - leaving Emery's side with little time to find a replacement and the transfer is still very much in the air.