Ollie Watkins transfer: Aston Villa in talks with Saudi club Al Hilal over England striker

19.08.2026, 11:24 skysports.com

Al Hilal are in talks with Aston Villa over a deal to sign striker Ollie Watkins.

Sky Sports News understands the Saudi club have already seen one offer from Villa knocked back, but negotiations remain ongoing as they look to find a solution.

Watkins is being targeted as a potential replacement for Karim Benzema, with Al Hilal also working on a way to resolve the Frenchman's contract situation and allow him to leave the club.

Benzema joined Al Hilal from Al Ittihad in February on an 18-month deal, but his future is now uncertain. He scored 10 goals in 15 appearances during his first half-season in Riyadh.

Al Hilal's interest in Watkins comes after a campaign where he scored 16 league goals for Aston Villa as he helped the club win the Europa League and secure another season of Champions League football. He was also included in England's 2026 World Cup squad.

The 30-year-old has established himself as one of Villa's key attacking players since joining from Brentford in 2020, having scored more than 100 goals for the club.

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Analysis by Sky Sports' Pat Rowe:

The doom and gloom mood of pre-season following the departures of Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans was momentarily lifted with the performance of Aston Villa against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup final.

New signing Joao Gomes and 17-year-old Brian Madjo have impressed in pre-season and stood out once again against PSG, despite the loss.

However, Unai Emery was dealt another blow when reports emerged of injuries for both players as they approach the season opener against Brighton. They will now join both Amadou Onana and new signing Johan Manzambi on the sidelines.

It has been a summer of change at Villa Park and navigating key player exits is difficult enough. Injuries and the absence of any form of pre-season for Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins, who have been linked with moves away, due to their extended World Cup breaks now mean both the line-up and performance itself could throw up a few surprises at the Amex Stadium.

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