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Aston Villa have decisions to make before Monday's transfer deadline with strikers Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran wanted men.
Manager Unai Emery has said Villa will be "demanding" with Arsenal after their approach for the England forward was rejected while Duran is reportedly poised for a medical with Saudi side Al-Nassr.
Watkins scored and missed a penalty in Wednesday's 4-2 Champions League win over Celtic, shrugging off the intense pre-game speculation.
Afterwards, Emery said: "I don't want [to sell]. It is good news to have offers from other clubs. We want to keep our sporting objective through the players we have in the squad.
"Every player can be in the market if it is good for the player and the club. To get this deal we are going to be demanding. Watkins is our striker."
He was less than certain with Duran, who has been linked with a move from Villa Park since the summer.
"If he is leaving it's because he wants [to]. I told you last week I wanted him here. After West Ham match I told you I want him here," said Emery.
"We are different people, different objectives.
"The club is working and we have to be intelligent in the market. Our objective here is to keep our structure because we want to keep the level high, and maybe we have to sell some players - and I don't know exactly - until everything is done whether or not Jhon Duran is leaving - but if he does, it'll be good news for us because it's good money.
"I don't know if Duran will leave or not. I want to keep him here, but we have to respect it. It's good news to have offers from other clubs - but we want to keep our best players."
Former Blackburn and Celtic striker Chris Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Holding on to Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran is key for Villa. If one of them goes... I know people say that they can't play together or they haven't played well together but they have dove-tailed pretty well in terms of when one comes on for another in games.
"Unai Emery will want to go as far as possible in this competition and in the Premier League, and for Aston Villa to continue building as a club, I don't think he will want either to go.
"What I think is interesting is that Ollie Watkins is an Arsenal fan as well. I think that may just sway it."
Villa made a profit of £300,000 in their 2021-22 accounts, helped by the sale of England midfielder Jack Grealish to Manchester City for £100m.
But that will drop off the next profit and sustainability (PSR) accounting period, and clubs are not permitted losses of more than £105m over a three-year period.
Villa lost £119.6m in their accounts up to 31 May 2023, but with Champions League revenue to account for in 2024-25 that will help the balance sheet.
They still needed to sell last summer and ultimately sold Douglas Luiz to Juventus for £42m to avoid a points deduction.
"We found ourselves in a situation where we had make an important profit to avoid being in breach with the PSR," said Damian Vidagany, Villa's director of football operations, in September. "It was very challenging.
"Everybody was cheering and celebrating the Champions League, but Monchi (Villa's president of football operations) and I were at the party thinking how we could avoid a points deduction that would have spoiled a wonderful season.
"There was a bomb with the countdown, and we were there to cut the cable. We arrived at the last second with this problem."
It is no secret that the Gunners are in need of a striker.
Gabriel Jesus is out with an injury while their highest scoring player is Kai Havertz, who has been converted into being an out-and-out forward since joining the Gunners and has done a commendable job in that role.
However, his tally of eight goals is only the joint-12th highest in the Premier League this season.
The Gunners did bring in Raheem Sterling from Chelsea in the summer. The forward hit 20 Premier League goals in 2019-20 for Manchester City but his goal return has mostly got lower since then and he is yet to score in eight appearances this term.
Indeed, Arsenal have not had a striker who has scored 20 goals or more in the Premier League since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2019-20.
Watkins hasn't been at his scoring best this season and only has two more Premier League goals than Havertz this season, but he has consistently hit double figures since joining Villa.
As well as scoring, Watkins also provides a healthy amount of assists and, since joining Villa in 2019-20 he is just one of three players to have managed 100 goal involvements or more in the Premier League.
After Wednesday's Champions League win against Girona, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta would not be drawn on potential transfers, but said: "My confidence is that we have an amazing club with people always working to try and improve. Let's see what happens."
In Arsenal's favour is that Watkins is a boyhood Gunners fan and has said previously that it would be his "dream" to play for the club one day.
Speaking to the Sports Gazette at the 2020 London Football Awards,, external he said: "That's the dream, to play for Arsenal one day. But, you know, it's a long shot.
"I'm an Arsenal fan so Thierry Henry was my [idol] he's unbelievable to watch."
Former Aston Villa defender Stephen Warnock told BBC Match of the Day: "Money talks. If Arsenal up their bid, you might see some wheeling and dealing.
"I don't think you would want to lose Watkins. He is the focal point of attack. But are you going to get that money again for a 29-year-old?
"That's a business decision then and that's when it becomes difficult. PSR has changed everything. It is a bigger decision now."
Duran has enjoyed an explosive season in the Premier League this term, scoring some crucial goals.
Earning a reputation as a "super sub" for his goal-scoring exploits from off the bench - particularly at the start of the season - the 21-year-old has scored 12 goals in all competitions so far this season.
He particularly caught the eye when he scored the winner against Bayern Munich after coming on as a substitute in their second game in the Champions League.
In the summer though he courted controversy. He had reportedly agreed personal terms with West Ham and in a live social media video he crossed his arms to imitate West Ham's Irons logo.
Had he made the move it would have been a third transfer before turning 21. But Villa did not sell him.
The Hammers reportedly went in for Duran again earlier this month, having a £57m bid rejected, but it started to look increasingly likely that his future laid elsewhere.
"The idea of parting with a 21-year-old talent with immense potential feels short-sighted," says Villa fan David Michael.
"Sure, if Villa fail to secure Champions League football next season, Duran might be the first name on the transfer list to balance the books, given reported interest from PSG, Real Madrid, and Al-Nassr. But, as things stand, Villa need him and Emery certainly wants him to stay."
