- Al Hilal have made a £45m bid for Ollie Watkins, with Aston Villa rejecting the offer as the striker pushes for a move to Saudi Arabia.
Ollie Watkins has become a priority signing for Saudi club Al Hilal to strengthen the squad. According to the latest report from The Athletic, Aston Villa rejected Al Hilal's fourth offer for the striker, which was around £45 million, but they will consider a transfer if a convincing offer is made for the 30-year-old.
Watkins pushes for move to Saudi Arabia
The English international wants a move to a Saudi club and communicated his decision with the management; they want to renew the contract with him and tabled multiple offers in front of him, but the player prefers a move. Al Hilal will submit a new bid before the window closes to land Watkins in Riyadh.
Speaking ahead of Villa's Premier League opener, Emery acknowledged that Watkins could leave if the right opportunity emerges
Meanwhile, Villa is monitoring Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, reports Ben Jacobs.
Losing Watkins would leave Villa needing another proven goalscorer before the transfer window closes, particularly with the Premier League season already underway.
What Watkins’ departure would mean for Villa
He joined the Birmingham club from Brentford for a club-record fee of £28 million in the summer of 2020 and has been the top scorer of the team in every season since then. Watkins is one of the key players for Villa under Unai Emery, and he delivered 7 goal contributions in their Europa League triumph last season, so his possible departure could hurt the team's productivity in the final third
Villa sanctioned departures of multiple key players, including Ezri Konsa, Morgan Rogers, and Lucas Digne, who were key players for the team in the recent season, and added highly rated players like Joao Gomez, Johan Manzambi, Garnacho, and Suzuki, who could deliver for the team in the long term.
Speaking ahead of Villa's Premier League opener, Emery acknowledged that Watkins could leave if the right opportunity emerges