According to The Athletic, Al-Hilal has officially submitted an offer for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, and Villa is prepared to reject the bid.

The package presented by Al-Hilal totals €45 million (£38.5 million).

Villa hopes to retain Watkins, who participated in training as normal on Tuesday and has two years remaining on his contract, which was last extended in October 2023.

However, the Saudi Pro League club continues to push for a deal and believes signals from the player suggest a summer transfer may be possible.

Manchester United considered signing Watkins last summer before pursuing Benjamin Sesko; Arsenal held talks in January 2025 regarding a potential transfer.

Watkins was included in England's World Cup squad under Thomas Tuchel this summer, but made only two substitute appearances throughout the tournament.

The striker is Villa's all-time leading goalscorer in the Premier League, making 55 appearances across all competitions last season, scoring 21 goals and providing 5 assists, helping Unai Emery's side win the Europa League and qualify for the Champions League.

Aston Villa signed striker Tammy Abraham from Besiktas in January, and Bryan Mbuemo, who joined in the January transfer window, is now eligible to play for the club following Villa's successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

This summer, Villa also recruited attacking midfielder Yoane Wissa from Freiburg, midfielder Youri Tielemans from Leicester, and winger Alejandro Garnacho from Chelsea.

Morgan Rogers moved to Chelsea, Youri Tielemans joined Manchester United, and Lucas Digne departed for Paris Saint-Germain; midfielder Amadou Onana suffered an ACL injury while representing Belgium at the World Cup and will be sidelined long-term.

Watkins joined Villa from Brentford in 2020 and has since made 278 appearances, scoring 108 goals.

"Watkins Remains Crucial"

Analysis by Jacob Tanswell

Watkins' future has been uncertain throughout the summer. Since the transfer window opened, he has attracted interest from abroad, and now Al-Hilal is pursuing him with a lucrative contract offer.

With only two years remaining on his contract, Villa must decide whether to keep Watkins.

At age 29, Watkins would be difficult to sell at the premium price Villa could have commanded two years ago. He was younger then and attracted interest from other Premier League clubs. However, he remains crucial to Emery, who wants to keep him, as he scored over 20 goals across all competitions last season.

If Watkins leaves, it would continue Villa's turbulent summer. Key players such as Tielemans, Rogers, Digne, and even Emiliano Martinez and Ezri Konsa could depart.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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