Ollie Watkins completes £51m move to Al-Hilal from Aston Villa

Ollie Watkins, 30, officially became an Al-Hilal player on Sunday after departing Premier League side Aston Villa. According to the BBC and The Guardian, the deal is worth a reported £51m, while Brazilian outlets ge.globo and Trivela cite £50m fixed plus bonuses (converted to R$351.3m and R$353.8m respectively). Per ge.globo, Watkins has signed a three-year deal running until 30 June 2029.

A move that wasn't straightforward

Watkins made himself unavailable for Villa's season-opening 4-0 defeat to Brighton last weekend in an effort to push through the transfer, which, according to Trivela, initially angered manager Unai Emery. The two later reconciled, with Emery telling reporters it was "crazy" for the club to secure £50m for a 30-year-old player, acknowledging the deal was excellent business for Villa.

In a farewell message posted on social media, Watkins said he never intended or imagined his time at Aston Villa would end this way, but that he remained eternally grateful for six years at the club, thanking former managers Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard as well as Emery. He added that Birmingham, where both his children were born, would always remain home.

At Villa, Watkins became the club's all-time top Premier League scorer with 91 goals (108 in all competitions, per The Guardian; ge.globo, however, states 278 appearances and 278 goals across all competitions, indicating a discrepancy between sources). He joined from Brentford in 2020 for £28m. Last season he scored 21 goals with five assists in 55 games, helping Villa win their first European trophy in 44 years, the Europa League.

Al-Hilal rebuild their attack

Watkins is one of several summer signings for Al-Hilal, joining Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville (from West Ham) and incoming Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli, who is set to undergo a medical on Tuesday, according to the BBC, as part of a revamped attacking line under coach Simone Inzaghi. Per ge.globo, Al-Hilal have spent €136m so far this transfer window, also signing Mahzari, Al-Sarnukh and Dahal. The club is aiming to reclaim domestic dominance from reigning champions Al-Nassr and compete with Al-Ahli, winners of the last two AFC Champions League titles.

Aston Villa have lost several other key first-team players this summer, including Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne and Emiliano Martinez, who has moved to Chelsea.