Aston Villa agrees to sell Watkins to Al-Hilal

English club Aston Villa has agreed to sell their striker Ollie Watkins to Al Hilal, after accepting the Saudi club’s latest offer to sign the England international.

According to Sky Sports on Thursday, the transfer fee for Watkins is valued at approximately 58 million euros (254 million riyals), following Aston Villa’s rejection of a previous bid from Al Hilal, as the club was keen to retain the striker.

The English club’s stance shifted in recent hours, leading to its approval of Al Hilal’s offer, at a time when Watkins had expressed his desire to move to the Saudi league.

The agreement coincides with Aston Villa’s efforts to replace their departing striker, as the club has reached an understanding to sign Senegalese forward Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea in a deal potentially worth around 75 million euros (328 million riyals).

Jackson spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich and previously worked under Unai Emery, Aston Villa’s manager, during their time together at Villarreal.