We are going to be VERY demanding! Emery responds to Arsenal bid for Aston Villa striker Watkins | OneFootball

Unai Emery insists he does not want to see Ollie Watkins leave Aston Villa this month and suggested it would take a huge fee for Arsenal to sign the striker.

The England striker has been the subject of an offer from Arsenal, which Villa have rejected.

But Arsenal are reportedly planning on making another bid for the 29-year-old, who has scored 11 goals in 32 games in all competitions this season.

Emery, however, says he wants to see Watkins stay at the club.

“I don’t want (to sell),” Emery said after Villa’s 4-2 win over Celtic which saw them reach the Champions League round of 16.

“But it’s good news to have offers from another club, or interest. It’s good.

“But I don’t want, of course. We want to keep our sport objectives through the players we have in the squad.

“Every player can be in the market, in the case that it’s good for the player, good for the club and good for the team.

“But to get this deal of course we are going to be very demanding as well. Watkins is our striker.”

Another of Villa’s strikers in Jhon Duran is also the subject of interest, with a move to Saudi Arabia side Al Nassr reportedly close.

And Emery says having other clubs interested in Villa’s players shows how well they are doing.

“I can feel proud of it because they are improving,” he said.

“We are having players who other clubs are interested in and as well, paying good money for us. Of course our objective here is to keep our structure because we want to be, on the sport side, at the level we are, and to keep it for a long time is the most difficult challenge we have.

“Of course someday we have to do it, maybe sell some players and change players, but to keep developing players and continuing always.

“I don’t know until everything is done if Jhon Duran is leaving or not but if he is leaving it’s good news for us. They are paying good money, because it’s good for him, and we develop a young player in two years to getting this offer.

“It’s not only for the club. It’s the club, the players, and the team. Those three circumstances can be positive, and minimum for two.”