Aston Villa face Ollie Watkins transfer decision amid interest from Saudi Arabia
Another of Aston Villa’s key players is the subject of interest from elsewhere, with reports indicating Ollie Watkins has admirers in Saudi Arabia.
The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell reported Tuesday morning that Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal have “long-standing interest” in the England international. Tanswell claims Villa intend to keep Watkins and that he is part of Unai Emery’s plans for the upcoming season.
Watkins, who will turn 31 in December, has two years left on his contract and has been crucial to Villa’s success in the Emery era, leading the forward line and scoring 51 goals in the last three Premier League campaigns.
Villa have already lost several players this summer who were pivotal parts of their recent success, with Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne all departing earlier in the window.
They are also set to announce the signing of Japanese goalkeeper Zion Suzuki. He is expected to replace Emiliano Martínez, whose future appears to lie away from Villa Park.
The club are likely reluctant to let Watkins go as they attempt to retain as much of their core as possible. They have been fending off interest from Arsenal for centre-back Ezri Konsa during the window.
However, every player has a price, and entering his age 31 season, Watkins will certainly have one. His market value will only go down from here, so if Al Hilal or another club offer a fee Villa feel is fair, they will have to consider letting him go.
Adding to the intrigue is the fact Villa have been continuously linked to Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson this summer, with Emery reportedly a huge admirer of the 25-year-old, having previously coached him at Villarreal.
From Watkins’ standpoint, some may question why he would entertain a move to Saudi Arabia in terms of his professional ambitions. From a financial point of view though, it would likely be his last opportunity to earn a potentially massive payday.
Whether Al Hilal will cough up the kind of money Villa are looking for remains to be seen, but the Saudi club have made plenty of expensive signings in recent years.
They signed Neymar for £97.6m in 2023 and have recruited from the Premier League regularly, signing the likes of Rúben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrović, João Cancelo, Kalidou Koulibaly.
More recently they spent £46m on Darwin Núñez last year and splashed £55m on Crysencio Summerville earlier this summer.
Whether Watkins stays or goes likely all depends on whether Al Hilal are willing to make Villa an offer which is too good to turn down. If that happens, they may make a business decision and let him go, before pivoting to someone like Jackson as a long-term replacement.
