According to the latest report from Football London, Chelsea Football Club is going all out in their pursuit of Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins to fill the center forward vacancy left by the impending departure of Romelu Lukaku. In order to stand out in this fierce transfer competition, Chelsea have not only accelerated their evaluation process, but also sent Palmer, the centerpiece of the team's attack, to personally lobby for Watkins to join Stamford Bridge.
With Belgian winger Romelu Lukaku close to completing a deal to move to Napoli, Chelsea desperately need to find a new winger who can plug and play in this summer's transfer market, to form a healthy competition with youngster Nicolai Jacobsson, and to enhance the team's offensive firepower. Watkins, who made a splash in the Europa League, has become a favorite on Chelsea's reinforcement list thanks to his excellent goal-scoring ability and all-round technical characteristics.
Watkins' performance in the Premier League last season was impressive, he not only scored 19 goals, but also contributed 13 assists, becoming the core of Villa's offense. What's even more rare is that he can not only play as a center forward, but also has excellent side breakthrough and passing ability, such versatile qualities perfectly fit Chelsea's new manager Maresca's tactical system.
However, Chelsea have not had a smooth road in their pursuit of Watkins. Competition from a number of Premier League giants such as Arsenal and Newcastle United made the deal much more difficult. In order to take the lead in this transfer war, Chelsea not only accelerated the negotiation process, but also used Palmer this "secret weapon". As an important part of the team's offensive end, Palmer and Watkins personal relationship is very good, his personal lobbying for Chelsea's attraction program undoubtedly added more winning odds.
Chelsea are currently pressing ahead with transfer talks with Aston Villa, aiming to finalize Watkins' transfer in the shortest possible time. Once the deal is successfully concluded, Watkins will become an important member of Chelsea's forward line, working hand in hand with young players such as Nikolai Jaksson to inject new vitality into the Blues' attacking end.
