Aston Villa face an increasingly serious decision over Ollie Watkins after the striker reportedly agreed personal terms with Al-Hilal over a potential move to Saudi Arabia.
Watkins had already given the green light to a possible transfer, with discussions taking place over his future. Fresh details now suggest the England international has gone a significant step further.
Sky Sport Switzerland reporter Sacha Tavolieri reports that Al-Hilal have reached an agreement with Watkins over the personal conditions of a potential transfer.
Crucially, however, no concrete offer has yet been made to Aston Villa.
Ollie Watkins Aston Villa future takes another turn
Al-Hilal’s next move appears to depend heavily on Karim Benzema.
Simone Inzaghi reportedly wants the former Real Madrid striker to leave, but terminating his contract is proving complicated. Al-Hilal want to resolve that situation before launching their formal pursuit of a new number nine.
That gives Villa some breathing room, but Watkins agreeing terms would significantly increase the threat of losing one of Unai Emery’s most important players.
Read Aston Villa reported on Monday that Watkins had opened the door to joining Al-Hilal, with club-to-club discussions said to have started.
Villa must now decide how they would respond if those discussions develop into a substantial bid.
Watkins scored 21 goals in all competitions last season and remains contracted until 2028. His potential departure would also come at a difficult moment for Emery, with Tammy Abraham carrying an injury concern and Brian Madjo expected to miss the beginning of the Premier League campaign.
Villa have already considered alternative forwards this summer, including Nicolas Jackson.
For now, Watkins remains a Villa player and Al-Hilal have not submitted an offer.
But with the striker reportedly agreeing terms, the possibility of a major late-window decision at Villa Park is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
