Unai Emery refused to discuss transfer speculation surrounding Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran after Aston Villa secured their place in the Champions League round of 16 with a pulsating 4-2 win over Celtic tonight.
Morgan Rogers scored a hat-trick for the home side with Watkins also on target, just hours after news emerged that Villa had received a £60million bid for the England striker from Arsenal.
And with Duran reportedly a target for Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr – reports tonight suggested the deal was done with the Colombian set to become a team-mate of Cristiano Ronaldo in a deal worth £64 million – it means there may need to be some work done by Emery and the Villa recruitment team ahed of Monday’s transfer deadline.
🚨🟡🔵 Jhon Durán to Al Nassr, here we go! Story from earlier tonight confirmed as documents are being prepared.
Aston Villa to receive €77m fixed fee plus add-ons, long term deal accepted by Durán.
Medical booked tomorrow and then he will travel to Saudi right after ✈️🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/m3SN6ots84
– Fabrizio Romano (@fabrizioromano) Janogy 29, 2025
Asked about Duran, Emery said: “Tomorrow or Friday we can talk about the transfer, or maybe next week, until everything is done I don’t want to speak, because in football everything can happen. The club is working and trying to compete in the transfer window because we need some players. Some can leave, but it is not time to speak about it.”
On Watkins, who also missed a penalty against Celtic, he added: “I know you want to ask about it, but I told you, today is not the day.”
Brilliant Rogers overshadows Duran
Duran failed to make it off the bench tonight, thanks largely due to the form of Watkins and Villa’s other attacking players, led by the brilliant Rogers.
“Definitely the highlight of my career so far,” said the former Manchester City youngster. “It’s a crazy experience and a crazy game to be a part of. It’s a massive achievement and we should be proud of ourselves.”
Rogers became the first player in Champions League history to score twice in the opening five minutes of a game as the hosts came flying out of the traps.
He added: ”It’s something we had to address starting games behind and giving ourselves a mountain to climb. Still something to work on but the good start is something to put us on the right foot.
“I felt we were on top for the large majority. We scored two goals and that’s what changed the game. We are a bit shorthanded at the back at the moment. We got the win.
“We had to dig deep, we know we can, we do it in the Premier League every week. We thoroughly deserved it. We’ve got the hunger and the drive and we’ve got a manager who pushes us every day.”
