Aston Villa’s new signing Ollie Watkins was keen on a move to Tottenham Hotspur during the early phase of the international transfer window, a report from Football Insider claims.

The north London side were on the hunt for a back-up striker to Harry Kane at the end of last season and Watkins was one of the top names on their radar.

However, a deal never materialised between Spurs and Brentford and Watkins ultimately made the move to the Villans last month on a club-record deal worth £28m.

On the other hand, Spurs managed to sign a new striker before the international transfer deadline as Carlos Vinicius joined them from Benfica on a season-long loan.

It is now reported that Watkins was desperate to join Spurs even if he was not guaranteed a starting role under manager Jose Mourinho.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, however, was reluctant to meet Brentford’s valuation for his services and that eventually ended the negotiations between the sides.

Watkins was the joint top-scorer in the Championship last term with 26 goals, but the season still ended in disappointment for the Bees as they lost the play-off final to Fulham.

He has settled excellently with the Villans this term with five goals from six appearances and recently starred in the thumping 7-2 win over league champions Liverpool.

The former Brentford man opened his Premier League scoring account with a stunning first-half hat-trick and he could be one of the signings of the season.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com