With the summer transfer window on the horizon, Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly eyeing a summer swoop for Aston Villa hotshot, Ollie Watkins, amid the uncertainty surrounding Harry Kane's future at the club.
According to reports in Spain late last week, the Villa marksman has been identified as a possible replacement for his England colleague at N17, with Kane having been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid of late with just 12 months left to run on his existing deal.
This latest piece suggests that the Lilywhites have shown an 'interest' in snapping up Watkins as a result, albeit with Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester United also said to be monitoring the 27-year-old ahead of the summer transfer window.
While the report goes on to add that the former Brentford striker has a market value of around €32m (£28m), there have been previous suggestions that the seven-cap ace is worth closer to £70m, having been in talk over a new deal at Villa Park.
That may appear a sizeable outlay for Daniel Levy and co, although Watkins could well be a perfect striking solution for Spurs next season…
Should Tottenham sign Watkins?
The one-time Exeter City man has certainly emerged as an attractive target having enjoyed a stellar end to the 2022/23 campaign, the £75k-per-week machine ending the season with a respectable haul of 15 league goals – taking his total tally in the competition to 40 goals across the last three seasons.
That fine record from the "lethal" goalscorer – as praised by pundit Trevor Sinclair – has seemingly caught the attention of those in north London, with it no surprise that Watkins is being lined up amid the rampant speculation surrounding the future of Kane.
The addition of the Villa man could also be a perfect match for prospective new boss, Ange Postecoglou, with the Greek-Aussie looking all but certain to be named as the next permanent manager at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
While the 57-year-old is not yet in the door, there have been claims that the Celtic coach is keen to bring prolific forward, Kyogo Furuhashi with him from Parkhead, with the Japanese international having ended the recent campaign with 34 goals to his name in all competitions.
With Watkins offering the benefit of having already shown his class in the Premier League, the Englishman could well prove to be a dream alternative to the current Hoops star, thus allowing Postecoglou to find his next talisman in the process.
Aside from knowing where the back of the net is, the two men are also alike due to their impressive movement when leading the line, with Postecoglou previously hailing Kyogo as the "best" he has ever seen with regard to that trait.
Watkins is also adept at being able to stretch a defence, with the Torquay native – who has been studying the likes of Edinson Cavani in order to improve that side of his game – having been lauded by journalist Josh Bunting, who stated:
"His movement opens up the centre-backs and it allows him to make those direct runs in between."
The comparison between the pair can also be made due to their quality off the ball, with Watkins described as "selfless in terms of what his work rate is" by ex-Villans boss Dean Smith, while Kyogo has also been described as someone who "hounds defences" by former Bhoys ace, John Collins.
With the latter man having played an integral role in steering Postecoglou's men to treble glory this season – after finishing as the leading scorer for the Old Firm giants – perhaps Watkins can emulate that feat and become the Greek-Aussie's new leading man at Spurs.