Aston Villa Reject Al-Hilal Bid for Ollie Watkins
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago1 MIN
Summary
Aston Villa have rejected a £38 million bid from Saudi club Al-Hilal for England striker Ollie Watkins, despite the player being open to a move. Villa’s hierarchy regard Watkins as indispensable and intend to keep him involved for Sunday’s Premier League season opener away to Brighton
Key Points
- Villa have already sold several key players this season, but refused Al-Hilal’s £38 million approach for 30-year-old forward Ollie Watkins
- Watkins scored 16 Premier League goals last season and has netted 77 league goals over the past five campaigns
- The report says only Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah have scored more Premier League goals than Watkins in that five-season span
- Watkins did not travel to Salzburg for the Super Cup match against Paris Saint-Germain because of post-World Cup statutory leave
- Villa have also agreed a loan-to-buy deal with West Ham for defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka, with an obligation fee of about £18 million
Why It Matters
For Premier League followers in Hong Kong, Villa’s stance underlines how central Watkins is to Unai Emery’s plans as the club targets the Champions League this season. The parallel move for Wan-Bissaka also suggests Villa are trying to protect their attacking core while reshaping the defence before the new campaign begins