Aston Villa Prepare for Al-Hilal's Move for Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa are braced for another move from Al-Hilal for Ollie Watkins after turning down an offer of almost £40m for their leading Premier League goalscorer.
The Saudi club have zeroed in on Watkins, who has hit double figures in the top flight in each of his six seasons at Villa since arriving from Brentford. At 30 and with two years left on his contract, he sits at the heart of Villa’s attack and of their transfer dilemma.
If Villa cash in, they will have to move fast. Any sale of Watkins would trigger a search for a replacement centre-forward, with Unai Emery a long‑standing admirer of Nicolas Jackson. The Chelsea striker, though, comes with a £65m price tag that Villa currently see as out of reach. Inside the club there is a growing acceptance that any marquee signing before the window closes will probably have to wait until another major departure, with Premier League financial rules tightening the squeeze.
Emery has already had to rip up and redraw his squad this summer. Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne have all gone, joining Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain respectively. Rogers’ exit, in a deal worth £117m, has made him the most expensive British player of all time and underlined the scale of Villa’s trading.
The rebuild has been bold. Zion Suzuki has arrived from Parma for £30m to step in for Emiliano Martínez, whose future is still unresolved. When Suzuki makes his debut, he will become the first Japanese goalkeeper to play in the Premier League, a landmark signing wrapped inside Villa’s wider reshaping.
At the back, Villa have completed a £17m move for Matteo Ruggeri from Atlético Madrid. In midfield and defence, negotiations continue with Bayern Munich over João Palhinha and with West Ham for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, as Emery looks to harden the spine of his team.
There has been significant investment too. Johan Manzambi has joined from Freiburg for a club‑record £52m, while Joao Gomes has arrived from Wolves for £38m, adding power and depth in central areas.
The churn may not be over. Villa are actively looking for a new club for Martínez, and Arsenal’s interest in England defender Ezri Konsa has not gone away. All of which leaves Watkins at the centre of a tense few weeks: if Al-Hilal return with a bigger bid, do Villa hold their line, or does the sale that unlocks the rest of their window come at the cost of their talisman?
