Aston Villa in pursuit of £25m Brentford striker Ollie Watkins

Aston Villa are ready to move for £25 million-rated Ollie Watkins after Brentford's failure to reach the Premier League.

Villa, Crystal Palace and Sheffield United are all interested in the Brentford striker, who is poised to leave this summer following the west London club's defeat in the Championship play-off final.

Watkins, 24, was the joint leading scorer in the Championship with 26 goals and Villa, managed by former Brentford head coach Dean Smith, are already emerging as serious contenders to offer him a route to the top-flight.

Smith was in charge at Brentford when Watkins was signed from Exeter in July 2017 and believes he could flourish in the Premier League, with his ability to play both centrally and out wide seen as key qualities.

Brentford will demand a record fee for a Championship player of around £25 million, after losing in extra time to Fulham at Wembley on Tuesday night.

It is understood that there is no release clause in Watkins's contract, despite reports earlier on Wednesday, and the fee will need to eclipse the current record of £21 million paid by Leicester to Norwich for James Maddison in June 2018.

After the game, Thomas Frank, their head coach, said: "I must say [players leaving] is not my biggest concern right now.

"Nobody knows what is going to happen tomorrow. I just know one thing: we will have a very, very strong side going into the Championship next season.

“I also care and believe so much in this group of players and I’m just disappointed that we’re not going to have the opportunity to attack the Premier League."

Brentford are also likely to face a battle to keep winger Said Benrahma, while midfielder Josh Da Silva is attracting Premier League interest.