Fenerbahçe have submitted an improved offer of around €35m for Watkins and have agreed personal terms with the striker in principle, according to Turkish reporting relayed on July 22nd. Fanatik report that the Istanbul club raised their offer from an earlier €25m proposal on July 14th, after the Fenerbahçe executives Cihan Kamer and Oğuz Çetin travelled to London in mid-July, and that Watkins has accepted the outline of a three-year contract worth about €9m a season. Villa are said to value him between €35m and €40m, with his contract at Villa Park running to June 2028, and the two clubs are discussing whether the fee can be structured in instalments to fit Fenerbahçe's Financial Fair Play position. The reporting is confined to the Turkish press: neither club has commented, no English tier-one reporter has corroborated an offer, and a separate strand of mid-July coverage claimed Fenerbahçe had failed to move the deal forward and had turned their attention to Marcus Rashford. On that basis the thread is staged at talks rather than at the bid its Turkish sourcing describes.
Primary source: Turkish Football, relaying Fanatik and Fotomac · last corroborated July 22nd.
| Date | What changed | |
|---|---|---|
| July 27th | Tracked | Rumor opened on the board at 37% (talks) — source: Turkish Football, relaying Fanatik and Fotomac. Fenerbahçe have submitted an improved offer of around €35m for Watkins and have agreed personal terms with the striker in principle, according to Turkish reporting relayed on July 22nd. Fanatik report that the Istanbul club raised their offer from an earlier €25m proposal on July 14th, after the Fenerbahçe executives Cihan Kamer and Oğuz Çetin travelled to London in mid-July, and that Watkins has accepted the outline of a three-year contract worth about €9m a season. Villa are said to value him between €35m and €40m, with his contract at Villa Park running to June 2028, and the two clubs are discussing whether the fee can be structured in instalments to fit Fenerbahçe's Financial Fair Play position. The reporting is confined to the Turkish press: neither club has commented, no English tier-one reporter has corroborated an offer, and a separate strand of mid-July coverage claimed Fenerbahçe had failed to move the deal forward and had turned their attention to Marcus Rashford. On that basis the thread is staged at talks rather than at the bid its Turkish sourcing describes. |
Timeline reflects our tracking history since the rumor joined the board, not every media mention. For everything Villa, live: the Verdict homepage.