Ollie Watkins to join Al Hilal as deal agreed with Aston Villa to sign replacement instantly

Ollie Watkins is set to formalise a £51million move to Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal, talkSPORT understands.

This comes after Villa agreed a £65m deal with Chelsea over the signing of striker Nicolas Jackson.

Getty

Getty

Villa were reluctant to sell Watkins but the player was pushing for a move, having been left out of the squad for their 4-0 defeat at Brighton last weekend.

And the England international is set to get his way, with Villa and Hilal reaching an agreement in principle for the player in a £51m deal.

The 30-year-old moved to Villa Park from Brentford in 2020 and was part of the side that won the Europa League last season.

Watkins has scored 108 goals in 278 appearances across all competitions for Villa.

The Villans will soon have an instant replacement with Senegal international Jackson set to join, having begun discussions with Chelsea in July.

Unai Emery previously worked with Jackson, who Chelsea value at £65m, during their time at Villarreal.

Tammy Abraham and 17-year-old Brian Madjo represent Jackson’s main competition up front at Villa.

Al Hilal’s striker search

talkSPORT also understands Al Hilal held talks with Harry Kane over a potential move for the England captain.

However, as previously revealed by talkSPORT, he is expected to stay at Bayern Munich.

The Saudi side are also set to sign Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli in a £49m, plus £7m in add-ons deal.

Getty

Former Bournemouth technical director Simon Francis is playing a key role in the pursuit of a new centre-forward.

It comes amid uncertainty surrounding Karim Benzema’s future at the club.

The 38-year-old joined Al Hilal from Al Ittihad in February on a deal until the summer of 2027.

talkSPORT understands talks were held between Benzema and the club last month over his future.

He is believed to want a prominent role as opposed to a scenario which would see him only registered for Asian Champions League matches.

It’s also understood Al Hilal could offload Darwin Nunez on loan to fellow Saudi Pro League club Diriyah this summer.

Getty

Meanwhile, Francis joined Al Hilal in a senior recruiting role at the start of July after leaving the Cherries.

Simone Inzaghi’s side have already signed Crysencio Summerville from West Ham this summer.

The Netherlands winger completed a £68million move to the club last month.