Al Hilal have made a formal offer for Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins, which is set to be rejected by the Premier League club.
The package presented by Al Hilal is worth €45million (£38.5million).
Villa want to keep Watkins, who trained as normal on Tuesday and has two years remaining on his contract, having last signed fresh terms in October 2023.
But Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal are continuing to pursue a move for the England international and believe they have received encouragement from the player side that a deal is possible this summer.
Manchester United explored a move for Watkins last summer before moving for Benjamin Sesko, while Arsenal held discussions over a possible deal in January 2025.
Watkins was selected by Thomas Tuchel for England’s World Cup squad this summer but only featured twice from the bench during the tournament.
The striker — Villa’s all-time top scorer in the Premier League — appeared 55 times in all competitions last season, registering 21 goals and five assists as Unai Emery’s side won the Europa League and qualified for the Champions League.
Aston Villa signed striker Tammy Abraham from Besiktas in January, while Brian Madjo, who also arrived in the winter window, is now available to play for the club after the club’s appeal to register him was accepted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Villa have signed attacking midfielder Johan Manzambi from Freiburg, midfielder Joao Gomes from Wolverhampton Wanderers and winger Alejandro Garnacho from Chelsea this summer.
Morgan Rogers has moved to Chelsea, Youri Tielemans has joined Manchester United and Lucas Digne has departed for Paris Saint-Germain, while the club have also lost midfielder Amadou Onana long-term after he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury on Belgium duty at the World Cup.
Watkins joined Villa in 2020 from Brentford and has made 278 appearances, scoring 108 goals.
‘Watkins remains crucial’
Analysis by Jacob Tanswell
Watkins’ future has been uncertain throughout the summer. He received interest from Turkey earlier in the window and now has the advances of Al Hilal and a lucrative contract.
Having entered the final two years of his contract, a decision will have to be made on whether to keep Watkins.
At 30, Villa were unlikely to fetch a fee they would have received two years ago for the England international, when he was younger and had Premier League interest. Yet he remains crucial to Unai Emery, who wishes to keep him, having reached over 20 goals across all competitions last season.
If Watkins was to leave, it would continue Villa’s summer of change, with key first team figures Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne and possibly Emiliano Martínez and Ezri Konsa departing.