Aston Villa Receive Official Offer For Attacker, Player Keen | OneFootball

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Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal have now put in an official offer for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Al Hilal have been looking for a striker to come in and replace Karim Benzema, who is expected to be moved on, with Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen their dream target.

Landing Osimhen though was always thought to be tough by the Saudi side and Watkins was identified as an alternative.

He recently gave the green light to a move to Saudi Arabia and now Al Hilal are looking to agree a fee with Aston Villa.

They have gone in with a proposal which is worth €45m, including add-ons, and hope that will be good enough for Villa to accept.

Watkins is now keen to make the move to Saudi Arabia and Aston Villa could well take the striker’s view into account.

Now Al Hilal will wait to see what Aston Villa do about the offer and whether or not it is accepted in the coming days.

Watkins has been linked with a move away from Villa Park in recent windows, but ended up staying put.

He would be walking away from Champions League football with Aston Villa if he moves to Saudi Arabia, but a lucrative package awaits him.

It is unclear exactly how much Watkins would earn, but Al Hilal gave an indication of their spending power earlier this summer.

The Saudi side snapped up Crysencio Summerville from West Ham United and handed him a four-year deal worth a total of €68m.

Such a level of cash could be tough for Watkins to resist given he is due to turn 31 years old by the end of the year.

Watkins will also have to take into account how a move to Saudi Arabia might affect his spot in the England squad, ahead of Euro 2028 however.

The Villa hitman was included in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad and will want to do all he can to be in the mix for the next international tournament.