Aston Villa have finally given the green light for Ollie Watkins to leave the club after accepting Al-Hilal’s latest offer for the England striker. The Saudi Pro League side have now agreed the details of the transfer, bringing one of Villa’s biggest summer sagas close to its conclusion.
Fabrizio Romano reports that Al-Hilal have reached a full agreement to sign Watkins, giving the deal his trademark “here we go” confirmation.
Villa have accepted a guaranteed €58.4million fee, with a further €2m available through add-ons.
Watkins is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia this week to complete the remaining formalities.
Aston Villa accept Ollie Watkins exit
The agreement represents a dramatic change in Villa’s position.
Unai Emery had publicly expressed his desire to keep Watkins, while Villa rejected several previous approaches from Al-Hilal.
Their resistance included an improved £45million proposal, with Watkins making clear that he wanted the Saudi move.
Villa have now received an offer significant enough to sanction his departure.
It also removes the unusual threat explored by ReadAstonVilla on Tuesday, when Villa faced the prospect of Al-Hilal pursuing Watkins after the Premier League window had closed.
Attention will immediately turn towards his replacement.
Villa have already made major progress in their pursuit of Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson, with an offer worth around £60million including bonuses submitted.
We also looked at how Emery could unlock Jackson’s most dangerous role earlier on Wednesday.
Watkins has been central to Villa’s rise under Emery, helping the club return to the Champions League and win the Europa League.
His departure therefore closes a major chapter at Villa Park.
The immediate challenge is making sure the money received from Al-Hilal is turned into a replacement capable of keeping Villa competitive at the top end of the Premier League.
