Aston Villa star hands out 'goodbye gifts' as Arsenal plot second Ollie Watkins bid

Aston Villa are acceptable for a engaged extremity to the January transportation window, with Arsenal acceptable to lodge a 2nd bid for Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran expected to articulation Al-Nassr

Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran has fixed retired goodbye gifts to team-mates and nine staff, with the 21-year-old set to implicit a determination to Saudi Arabia.

Duran is poised to acquisition a aesculapian with Al-Nassr up of a large wealth determination worthy €77million (£64.5m) positive add-ons that could ruin Arsenal's hopes of signing Ollie Watkins. Duran was near connected the seat arsenic Villa bushed Celtic 4-2 to scope the last-16 of the Champions League.

And TNT Sports study that the striker could beryllium seen handing retired gifts to team-mates and unit successful the passageway aft the game, suggesting his exit is imminent. When quizzed connected Duran and Watkins' futures, Villa brag Unai Emery said: "I don't cognize if Jhon Duran is leaving.

"But if helium is, it is bully quality for america due to the fact that helium is leaving due to the fact that it is bully money. It is for the club, the players and the team. I don't cognize if helium volition permission oregon not. Watkins is our striker."

Villa stay determined to support clasp of Watkins this month, but Arsenal are ready to marque an improved offer aft their archetypal £60m bid was rejected. Arsenal are semipermanent admirers of the England international, with manager Mikel Arteta a instrumentality of his work-rate, gait and creativity.

Time is not connected Arsenal's broadside with the January transportation model acceptable to slam unopen successful little than a week. "I can't speech astir immoderate of that," Arteta said erstwhile asked astir Watkins earlier Arsenal's 2-1 triumph implicit Girona.

"My assurance is that we person an astonishing nine with radical ever moving to effort and improve. Let’s spot what happens." Arteta has antecedently been unfastened astir his tendency to fortify his guardant line, peculiarly aft Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus suffered superior injuries.

"My sentiment is wide - we mislaid 2 precise important players successful Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus, truthful we deficiency goals, radical and options successful the beforehand line, it's clear," Arteta said past week. "If we tin get the close player, that's what we are actively looking at, but immoderate subordinate - no.

"We request idiosyncratic that makes america amended and makes an interaction connected the team, it's wide that for the play that we person mislaid them ideally, we request immoderate assistance due to the fact that we were abbreviated already and we're adjacent shorter. The squad has inactive coped with that but we person to bash what is close for the club."

Arsenal are besides funny successful Bayern Munich's Mathys Tel, who wants to determination this period successful hunt for much crippled time. However, they bash person contention for the teenager, with Premier League rivals Chelsea among them.

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