Ollie Watkins is the latest striker to attract the attention of Manchester United. 

The Red Devils are looking to recruit a frontman, but their main targets could prove to be out of reach. 

Reports have now emerged that the club have been scouting the Aston Villa and England hitman. 

Ahead of a busy summer at Old Trafford, we examine how Watkins has become a realistic option for Erik ten Hag. 

Striker hunt

 United's hunt for a striker seems unlikely to be straightforward. 

Though there are some quality centre forwards that look set to make a move this summer, they all come with a premium valuation and interest from other clubs. 

Harry Kane was consistently linked with a move north last season, but that talk has cooled. 

If he were to leave Tottenham, then Real Madrid could be interested as they look to replace Karim Benzema. 

Reports suggest that United would have to pay somewhere in the region of £100million for the England captain, which is a lot of money for a player who turns 30 next month. 

Napoli's Victor Osimhen is likely to be even more expensive and is on the radar of Paris Saint-Germain. 

Atalanta's Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund was considered likely to be a cheap option, only for the Serie A club to set an £86m valuation. 

The likes of Randal Kolo Muani, Goncalo Ramos and Dusan Vlahovic are also possibilities, but all will require a sizeable outlay and come with an element of risk. 

Hot streak

Given the potential issues in bringing Kane to Old Trafford and the complexities of signing a top striker from abroad, it is little wonder that Watkins is being considered. 

The forward has just had his most prolific campaign yet for Villa, scoring 15 Premier League goals from 37 appearances. 

That record looks even more impressive when you consider that only two of his strikes came before Christmas. 

The next 13 came in 23 games. This included a hot streak which saw Watkins net 11 times in 12 appearances. 

That run suggests that the England international is capable of improving greatly on his 40 goals in 109 Premier League matches for Aston Villa. 

The 27-year-old's contract expires in 2025, which means that he could be available for a more reasonable fee than some of the other strikers on United's radar. 

Pacy presser

The signing of Watkins could make a lot of sense. He has the Premier League experience that a lot of their other striker targets lack.

In addition, he is a determined presser, who would bring even more pace to Ten Hag's attack and has the versatility to play on the flank. 

Whether United will ultimately bid for the Villa hitman depends on other developments at the club. 

With a takeover still being negotiated, it is impossible to predict just how big their transfer budget will be this summer. The Red Devils may well end up being able to afford one of their preferred targets.

Villa fans will hope that is the case and their top scorer remains at the club as they look to continue their improvement under Unai Emery. 

Wherever Watkins plays next season, the future looks bright for a player fighting to be in the England squad for Euro 2024.