‘Seeking Common Ground With Aston Villa’ – Club Step Up Efforts For Villa Star | OneFootball

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Fenerbahce are stepping up their efforts to sign Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa following an injury to their new striker signing Vedat Muriqi.

Watkins has been linked with a move away from Aston Villa for some time, with Arsenal making a first serious attempt to sign the striker during the January transfer window last year.

The Villains were unhappy with the timing of Arsenal’s approach, which arrived on the eve of their Champions League clash against Celtic.

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The speculation eventually died down, but Manchester United reignited interest in the striker during the summer of 2025, only for Aston Villa to maintain their ‘strictly not for sale’ stance.

Now this summer, the 30-year-old has once again become a subject of interest, with Turkish giants Fenerbahce putting Watkins on their radar.

It was suggested last week that, this time, the Villains are ‘open to selling’ their striker this summer.

Following that claim, with fresh developments emerging, it appears the Turkish giants are getting serious about signing the 30-year-old.

According to Turkish daily Sabah (via Asist Analiz) Fenerbahce ‘are seeking common ground with Aston Villa’ on a deal.

The Turkish giants recently signed Muriqi from Spanish side Mallorca, but the striker suffered an injury during pre-season training session, prompting the Turkish side to look for another forward.

It has been suggested that the Yellow Canaries are seeking to sign Watkins on a loan deal with an obligation to buy.

Whether such a deal formula would make sense for Aston Villa, as it would essentially postpone getting a fee for Watkins, is unclear.

Letting Watkins go would also increase the need for Aston Villa to bring in a new striker, while it is unclear just how open Watkins is to moving to Turkey.

Fenerbahce look to believe it is a possibility, as evidenced by the time they are putting into a potential swoop.

There is interest in more Aston Villa players from Turkey, with Galatasaray keen on Amadou Onana, but not his price tag.