Brentford came extremely close to clinching their promotion to the Premier League but alas, it wasn’t to be this year. And while ultimately very disappointing for them given they’ve had a great 2019/20 campaign, it could be very beneficial for other teams looking to swoop in and raid their highly-talented squad.
According to the latest reports from The Mirror, Crystal Palace are set to trigger Ollie Watkins’ £18m release clause and bring the forward to the Premier League. However, as we already know, Leeds United are also showing interest in the 24-year-old and we’re bound to see the two teams clash in the ongoing summer transfer window.
Marcelo Bielsa seems to be a fan of Watkins and it was already reported earlier that the Whites intend to do exactly the same and acquire the young striker, maybe also by paying the release clause. And looking at his numbers, it’s pretty easy to see why.
The 24-year-old has bagged 25 goals in the Championship and seems to be ready for the next level. Whether that’s going to be at Leeds United or Crystal Palace, we don’t know.
What we do know, however, is that the interest from both clubs seems to be real and they are bound to clash for his signature. With the Whites clinching their promotion to the Premier League, they are in need of quality reinforcements and Watkins could offer exactly that.
Watkins a bargain at £18m
Whoever ends up snatching up Watkins will definitely get a bargain striker for £18m. Nowadays, you simply can’t get quality without spending huge sums of money and for that reason, this deal would surely feel like striking gold for either of the teams.
Leeds will, however, need to make a statement now that they have secured Premier League football for 2020/21 and what better way to do that than showing up with an incredibly stacked squad?
Bielsa definitely knows what he’s doing, now it’s just about getting the deal over the line.