Aston Villa have rejected an approach from Arsenal for England striker Ollie Watkins. Sources confirmed to BBC Sport the Gunners made their enquiry for the 29-year-old on Monday. Reports of a £60m Arsenal bid first surfaced just hours before Aston Villa’s Champions League win over Celtic on Wednesday night at Villa Park. Watkins started and scored, but also slipped to miss a bizarre penalty in the second half. Villa sources say they have no intention of allowing Watkins to leave, especially with continued speculation linking fellow striker Jhon Duran with a move to Saudi Arabia club Al Nassr. Sources also told BBC Sport that Villa are unhappy with the timing of the approach, which came in the build-up to a key Champions League fixture and a week before January’s transfer deadline day. It is not clear if Arsenal will return with further offers before Monday’s 23:00 GMT deadline.
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