Forget Morgan Rogers - Robbie Fowler names Aston Villa star who Liverpool should buy this summer

Robbie Fowler has suggested that Liverpool should make a move for Ollie Watkins in the summer transfer window.

The Reds are set to have a fairly busy few months of player trading despite being crowned Premier League champions. Arne Slot will want to strengthen certain areas of his squad to ensure that Liverpool are again challenging for the silverware in the 2025-26 season.

A new striker is set to be high on the agenda. Darwin Nunez has endured another year of struggles at Anfield. His £64 million switch from Benfica in 2022 has failed to bear fruit and a departure is expected, with Atletico Madrid and the Saudi Pro League reportedly keen. Diogo Jota, meanwhile, has again endured injury problems throughout the campaign.

Newcastle United marksman Alexander Isak is regarded as one of the best in Europe. However, the Magpies are set to demand in excess of £100 million and manager Eddie Howe has insisted the Sweden international is not for sale. The likes of RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sekso and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike have also been linked.

But Fowler, speaking to The i Paper, has suggested that Villa’s Watkins could be a viable alternative. Although he is 29, the England international has experience of playing in the Premier League and could be a stop-gap.

What’s been said

The former Kop centre-forward said: “It’s a difficult one because as a supporter, you want them to sign every player under the sun! If you’re not signing players, you risk potentially going backwards. Maybe [Darwin] Nunez will be a name on a few teams’ lists because he hasn’t played the amount of games he’d want to, so you assume Liverpool will try to bring a number nine.

“The problem is clubs know that they are potentially on the lookout for a number nine, so the prices will become silly. If you look at [Alexander] Isak, he’s going to be £100m plus easily. He’s a wonderful player, but Liverpool may not want to pay that, and they’ll look around.

“You could look at Ollie Watkins. He doesn’t really fit the model in terms of what Liverpool want, given his age [29 years old], but I’d go and get him for a couple of years because he’s a tremendous player and established and experienced in the Premier League.”

Will Liverpool sign Watkins?

Watkins does seem to have somewhat of an uncertain future at Villa, having fallen down the pecking order since Marcus Rashford joined on loan from Manchester United. He was also subject of interest from Arsenal in January but a deal could not be agreed.

However, as Fowler pinpointed, Watkins is not of the age that fits Liverpool’s recruitment model. They prefer bringing in players who are around the age of 22-25 and can still be developed having yet to hit their peak years.