Crystal Palace are leading the race to sign £18million Brentford striker Ollie Watkins according to The Mirror.
Watkins suffered play-off final heartbreak with the Bees on Tuesday evening as they lost 2-1 after extra time to Fulham and find themselves back in the Championship for next season.
There had been rumours of an £18million release clause in Watkins’ contract should Brentford fail to win promotion and this will be music to the ears of a host of Premier League clubs who have declared an interest in the hotshot.
Watkins scored 25 goals for Brentford last season and has been linked with a move to Aston Villa, Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United in recent weeks.
However, it now appears Palace could be the front runners in the race to sign him this summer with a striker deemed a priority for the Eagles.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank will be desperate to retain his top stars despite their failure to win promotion but is realistic enough to realise that Said Benrahma and Ollie Watkins in particular will be craving top-flight football.
Watkins has enjoyed an impressive season and only missed out on the golden boot to Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic.
The 24-year-old has worked his way through the football league pyramid having played for the likes of Exeter City before getting his move to the Bees but his time at the London club could be over if Premier League clubs continue to show an interest.
Palace are keen to make a number of additions this summer and Watkins is now seemingly top of their transfer wanted list.
