Aston Villa & Crystal Palace join Brighton in Sunderland transfer chase as £10m fee mooted | OneFootball

Tommy Watson is attracting plenty of interest from Premier League teams ahead of the January window deadline.

Premier League duo Aston Villa and Crystal Palace have joined the race for Sunderland winger Tommy Watson.

This is according to journalist Ed Aarons, who has also reported that the pair are both expected to make bids for the 18-year-old ahead of Monday night's deadline.

The Black Cats could come under siege in the final couple of days of the window, with the likes of Jobe Bellingham, Dan Neil, Chris Rigg and Watson all being linked with moves away from the Stadium of Light in recent weeks.

Interest in the quartet is no surprise, considering all four have been able to play a part in the Wearside outfit's successful 2024/25 team.

But Regis Le Bris' side will surely be keen to retain some of their best young assets, even if sales could generate a hefty amount of money for Kyril Louis-Dreyfus to reinvest back into the team.

Watson, 18, may not have been one of the first names on the teamsheet throughout this campaign, but he is a very highly-rated player who scored a brace against Stoke City earlier this term.

And Watson has done enough to attract interest from at least three teams from the English top tier, despite currently being sidelined through injury.

Aston Villa and Crystal Palace join Tommy Watson transfer race

According to Aarons, both Villa and Palace are in the mix for the teenager at this point, with both expected to make bids imminently.

The same journalist has reported that the Black Cats aren't keen to sell the winger unless they can bring in a replacement, which could be a tricky task with less than 48 hours to go until the transfer window closes.

Brighton and Hove Albion are also interested in a move, and according to Alan Nixon, they are attempting to strike a £10 million deal for the player after seeing an initial bid rejected worth £7 million guaranteed and £3 million in add-ons.

Le Bris' side will want all the money guaranteed - and it remains to be seen whether a deal can be struck before Monday's deadline.

Sunderland keeping Tommy Watson would be a victory for the Championship

Watson is a very talented player who will only get better.

And it seems inevitable that, if he stays, he will become a key part of Le Bris' plans sooner rather than later.

Already having a taste of first-team football and having an impact, he would thrive out on loan, or could even make a real difference for the Black Cats during the final months of the season.

They will surely be keen to fend off the big boys of the Premier League to retain his services.

And if they do manage to do that, it could be seen as a victory for the Championship, with many second-tier teams losing their brightest prospects to top-flight sides regularly.