Al Hilal submits €45M bid for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins as transfer window ticks down

Al Hilal has tabled a €45 million offer for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, escalating what has been a simmering saga into a genuine transfer battle with the summer window closing in roughly two weeks.

The bid lands well below Watkins’ estimated market value of approximately €60M, which means Villa are unlikely to treat it as anything close to a serious conversation starter. For a club that has been vocal about its desire to keep the 30-year-old England international, this opening salvo reads more like a negotiating tactic than a knockout punch.

The state of play

Watkins has reportedly already agreed personal terms with Al Hilal. That’s the part Villa won’t love hearing, because it suggests the player is at least open to the idea of relocating to the Saudi Pro League.

The move would position Watkins as a potential replacement for Karim Benzema, whose departure from Al Hilal is reportedly under negotiation. It’s a telling detail: the Saudi club apparently needs to resolve one aging striker’s contract before fully committing to acquiring another forward.

Watkins joined Aston Villa from Brentford back in 2020 and signed a contract extension in October 2023 that keeps him tied to the club until June 2028. That long-term deal gives Villa significant leverage. They don’t need to sell, and they’ve made it clear they don’t particularly want to.

Villa sources have acknowledged that Al Hilal’s interest is long-standing, not some late-window impulse buy.

Villa’s Saudi track record

This isn’t the first time Aston Villa has found itself across the table from a Saudi Pro League club during transfer negotiations. The Midlands outfit has previously sold players like Moussa Diaby and Jhon Duran to Saudi-based teams, establishing a pattern that Al Hilal will be hoping to exploit.

The €15M gap between Al Hilal’s bid and Watkins’ Transfermarkt valuation is significant. Villa has shown no indication of willingness to move on from the player.

The clock factor

With roughly two weeks left in the 2026 summer transfer window, time is not on Al Hilal’s side. The Benzema situation needs resolution before the club can fully commit to bringing Watkins aboard.

He’s an established England international, and a move to Saudi Arabia could complicate his standing with the national team, depending on how selectors view players outside Europe’s top leagues.

If Al Hilal is serious about getting this done, a substantially improved bid will need to arrive quickly. A revised offer closer to or exceeding that €60M valuation would at least force a genuine conversation at Villa Park.

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