Aston Villa Reject Three Bids And Offer New Deal To Keep Star: Right Decision?

Aston Villa have made their position unambiguous. The club have already turned down three separate offers for Ollie Watkins this summer window, and according to a report published by John Townley on X, they have also moved to offer their striker a new contract running until 2030. The intention is clear.

Aston Villa are trying to keep their most important attacking player, despite sustained pressure from Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal, who have agreed personal terms in principle with the 30-year-old and submitted a formal package worth €45 million, approximately £38.5 million, for his signature. Villa, for their part, are holding out for something closer to €60 million, which translates to around £51.4 million. The club have rejected every approach so far.

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 23: Ollie Watkins #19 of England arrives at the stadium before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L match between England and Ghana at Boston Stadium on June 23, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Aston Villa stepping into Champions League football next season with a gaping hole up front is a genuinely disastrous prospect. Watkins finished the 2025/26 campaign with 16 Premier League goals and three assists across 37 appearances, added five goals and two assists in 15 Europa League games, and played a direct role in Villa lifting European silverware. These are numbers you don’t replace with a phone call in late August.

Al-Hilal’s opening bid of £38.5 million for a player of this quality is, frankly, an insult dressed up in dirhams. He’s 30, yes, but he represented England at the 2026 World Cup, featured in a third-place match against France, and has 24 international caps. His value isn’t declining; it’s proven.

Villa already sanctioned Ezri Konsa’s departure to Arsenal for £51 million. Letting Watkins follow him out at a knockdown rate would communicate something ugly to the dressing room about the club’s actual ambitions heading into elite European competition. Emery has built a system where Watkins’ pressing metrics and transitional pace are structural necessities, not decorative extras.

The tax-free Saudi contract reportedly tempts Watkins. That’s understandable, completely. But unless a proven, ready replacement like Nicolas Jackson arrives first, letting him leave tears the engine out of the machine. Villa must extract maximum value, and right now, £38.5 million doesn’t come anywhere near it.