Mateta the reason! Saudi side Al-Hilal push Aston Villa to seek help from Chelsea

A shocking scenario at Villa Park

Aston Villa have been dealt a painful blow before the season has even begun, one that now threatens the club's entire project. Everyone was awaiting the Villans' Premier League opener. Then came the news from Riyadh, turning every calculation upside down and plunging the English club's management into a genuine state of emergency.

Villa scrambled to act over the past few hours in a bid to replace leading striker Ollie Watkins, who has moved to the brink of a transfer to Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal. The "leader of Asia" have thrown everything at sealing the deal in recent days, with the 30-year-old fully embracing the idea of a move to the Roshn League this summer.

Watkins sat out Villa's heavy, humiliating four-goal defeat to Brighton on the opening day of the 2026-2027 season. A clearer signal that his exit is only a matter of time is hard to imagine.

Faced with that reality, "The Athletic" revealed that Villa lodged an official offer for France striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, the Crystal Palace man under contract until the summer of 2027. The Eagles knocked it back on the spot, though. Their hierarchy judged the compensation to fall well short of what they wanted to part with their key striker.

Elsewhere, "Sky Sports" reported that Spanish manager Unai Emery stepped in personally and urged the board to switch to a more realistic target: Senegal's Nicolas Jackson, the Chelsea striker.

That deal looks strongly likely to go through. Jackson no longer figures in the plans of the Blues' management or new manager Xabi Alonso, and he wants a fresh chance to revive his career.

All this chaos lands at a brutal moment. Villa host Premier League champions Arsenal in a fiery clash next Monday, a test that could expose just how big a hole Watkins leaves behind should his move to Al-Hilal go through.