Watkins Could Leave Villa as Emery Confirms Al-Hilal Offers
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- Ollie Watkins could leave Aston Villa before the transfer deadline, with Saudi club Al-Hilal making offers and Emery admitting "it can change" if the right replacement is found.
- Emery said he wants to keep the 30-year-old striker, who has scored 108 goals for Villa since joining from Brentford for £28m in 2020 and is the club's record Premier League scorer.
- Villa have already sold several first-team players this summer: Ezri Konsa to Arsenal for £51m and Morgan Rogers to Chelsea for a record £117m, with Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne also departing.
- If Watkins and goalkeeper Emi Martinez both leave, Villa will have sold six of the starting XI that won the Europa League just two months ago.
- Martinez's move to Juventus collapsed after the clubs failed to agree a fee, with Villa signing Japan international Zion Suzuki from Parma for £30m as their replacement goalkeeper.
- Martinez will miss Sunday's Premier League opener at Brighton, having returned from a post-World Cup break with only one training session, and Suzuki is slated to start.
Why it matters: Two months after winning the Europa League, Villa could lose six of that starting XI in a single transfer window, with the club's all-time Premier League scorer (108 goals) potentially heading to Saudi Arabia. Emery has roughly 10 days to decide whether to cash in on Watkins or hold him, while Martinez's exit was only blocked by a failed Juventus deal — meaning further departures remain live.
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