According to The Athletic, Al-Hilal has made a formal offer for Aston Villa striker Watkins, and Villa are prepared to reject the offer.

The Riyadh Crescent's offer totaled €45 million (£38.5 million).

Vera hopes to retain Watkins, who trained normally on Tuesday. He has two years left on his contract, with the most recent extension scheduled for October 2023.

However, the Saudi United club is still pushing for the deal and believes the player has signaled that a transfer this summer is possible.

Manchester United considered signing Watkins last summer but later turned their attention to Benjamin Sesco; Arsenal, on the other hand, held talks in January 2025 regarding a potential transfer.

Watkins was included in Thomas Tuchel's England Women's World Cup squad this summer, but only made two substitute appearances throughout the tournament.

This striker is Aston Villa's all-time top scorer in the Premier League, making 55 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring 21 goals and providing 5 assists, helping Emery's team win the Europa League and qualify for the Champions League.

Aston Villa signed striker Tammy Abraham from Besiktas in January, and Bryan Madjo, who joined in the winter transfer window, is now eligible to play for the team. Villa's registration application has been accepted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

This summer, Aston Villa also signed attacking midfielder Manzanbi from Freiburg, midfielder Totti Gomez from Wolves, and winger Ganacho from Chelsea.

Morgan Rodgers moved to Chelsea, Tielemans joined Manchester United, and Digne left to join Paris Saint-Germain; midfielder Onana suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury while representing Belgium at the World Cup and will be out for a long time.

Watkins joined Aston Villa from Brentford in 2020 and has made 278 appearances and scored 108 goals.

Watkins remains crucial.

Jacob Tanswell Analysis

Watkins' future remained uncertain throughout the summer. After the transfer window opened, he received interest from Turkey, and now he's being pursued by Riyadh Crescent with a lucrative contract.

With two years remaining on his contract, Villa must decide whether to keep Watkins.

At 30, Watkins is unlikely to fetch the same high price as he did two years ago. Back then, he was younger and attracted interest from other Premier League clubs. However, he remains very important to Emery, who wants to keep him because he scored over 20 goals in all competitions last season.

If Watkins leaves, it will continue Villa's summer turmoil. Key players such as Tielemans, Morgan Rodgers, Digne, and even Emiliano Martinez and Konsa could all depart.