Aston Villa left fuming over the timing of Arsenal’s £60m bid for Ollie Watkins | OneFootball

Aston Villa have been left fuming by Arsenal’s approach for striker Ollie Watkins ahead of their crunch Champions League showdown against Celtic.

Arsenal’s bid was believed to be around £60 million, but it was swiftly rejected by Villa, and the Birmingham club have now ruled out a mid-season exit for Watkins.

This will be the second time Villa’s preparations for a Champions League fixture have been disrupted by transfer speculation.

Last week, West Ham United attempted to sign Jhon Duran on the eve of Villa’s Champions League defeat against AS Monaco.

The Hammers reportedly submitted a club-record £57m bid but were met with the same response Villa gave their capital rivals Arsenal.

It remains to be seen whether Arsenal will make another offer for Watkins, but they are likely to test the water again if they are given any encouragement.

Villa have yet to officially comment on Arsenal’s interest in Watkins, but sources suggest the club’s officials are unhappy with both the timing of the bid and the fact that it was made public.

Unlike Arsenal, Villa still have work to do to secure a top-eight finish in the Champions League.

Arsenal had already clinched an automatic spot in the Champions League knockout rounds following a comprehensive 3-0 win against Dinamo Zagreb in their last outing.

However, Villa need to beat Celtic on home turf to bolster their chances of following Arsenal into the latter stages of the tournament through a top-eight finish.

Given the high-stakes nature of their meeting with the Scottish champions, the bid for Watkins was a particularly unwelcome distraction.

Unai Emery has hinted in recent weeks that transfer speculation has affected some of his players, with Duran repeatedly linked with a January exit.

Despite this, Villa remain firm in their stance that neither Watkins nor Duran will be sold before the transfer window closes on Monday night.