Chelsea are weighing up a move for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, according to journalist Simon Phillips.

Writing on his Substack page, Phillips claims the England international is being considered as a possible option if Armando Broja leaves Stamford Bridge this summer.

Watkins scored 16 goals last campaign and he is Villa’s top centre-forward so persuading them into selling the player won’t be easy.

The 27-year-old was signed for £33m in 2020 so it’s likely that the Villans will demand a fee many times that, after he established himself in the Premier League over the last few years.

Watkins has received praise for his abilities

Back in early 2022, the England star received a ringing endorsement from former Liverpool and Manchester United striker Michael Owen, who said:

“Ollie Watkins for me is a top, top player. He came from Brentford and he scored a lot of goals there. But I do like him.”

Broja’s departure from Chelsea looks likely

Based on Phillips’ post, it appears that Broja will be sent out on loan over the coming days. The Albanian international has been back in training for a few weeks, having recovered from an ACL injury.

However, manager Mauricio Pochettino did not select him for the Blues’ pre-season tour of the United States which suggests that a move could happen sooner rather than later.

There have been reports in Italy suggesting a permanent transfer to West Ham could be in the offing but a loan switch is seemingly the likeliest scenario as things stand.

Pochettino has been bemoaning his lack of options upfront, even with Broja at the club so, if the forward does leave, it looks almost certain that Chelsea will be in the market for a new number nine. It remains to be seen, though, whether they will firm up their interest in Watkins.