Aston Villa are ready to approve the exit of talismanic striker Ollie Watkins, with a big-money switch to Saudi Pro League powerhouse Al-Hilal now moving close to completion. The England international has been at the centre of strong transfer speculation all summer and is now expected to travel for a medical in the next few days.

Al-Hilal closing in on Watkins deal

According to The Athletic, Al-Hilal are nearing the final stages of a significant agreement with Aston Villa for Watkins, built around an initial fee of £50m along with performance-based add-ons. The Saudi Pro League club expect the forward to travel soon for his medical before putting pen to paper on a three-year contract in Riyadh.

The transfer would secure Villa a major profit on the investment they made when they signed him from Brentford in 2020 for what was then a club-record £28m, plus a further £5m in add-ons. In 278 appearances across all competitions for the West Midlands side, Watkins delivered 108 goals and 47 assists, establishing himself as a leading Premier League scorer and an England international.

Nicolas Jackson brought in as replacement

Villa moved swiftly to prepare for Watkins' departure by lining up his successor, having agreed a total £65m package with Chelsea for Nicolas Jackson earlier on Wednesday.

Watkins had already been omitted from Villa's 4-0 opening-day loss to Brighton, and although he returned to training on Monday and apologised to his team-mates for the uncertainty surrounding his future, an exit from Villa Park was looking more and more unavoidable.

Unai Emery speaks about transfer process

During the entire saga, Emery has been candid about the difficulty of managing a key player who wants a fresh challenge. After the heavy opening-day defeat to Brighton, the Villa manager first sidestepped questions over the striker's future, saying the matter was 'for him and his agent,' before adding: 'I can answer only with my silence.'

Even so, Emery later gave a fuller explanation of the club's stance on the England striker, admitting that the situation depended on how the market developed. Speaking before the Brighton match, the Spaniard said Villa 'have an issue with him,' while outlining the club's position: 'We have offers for him. He’s our player, I don’t want to sell him, but that can change because if it’s a good option for him, good option for the club and I can replace him, this is the routine we have.'

Europa League triumph and Villa's growing attacking problems

Watkins missed only one match for Villa last season, making 55 appearances, scoring 21 goals and providing five assists as Emery's side won the Europa League trophy. Although the club were keen to keep hold of their star striker and offered him an extension until 2030 to replace his current contract, which runs until 2028, the England international rejected all informal approaches, making it clear that he wanted a new challenge.

Even with Jackson's arrival close, Villa still have concerns over their attacking depth. Tammy Abraham is ruled out for the start of the season because of injury, while 17-year-old Brian Madjo is also set to remain unavailable until at least September. That lack of options was underlined against Brighton, when midfielder Ross Barkley was used as a makeshift No 9.