Watkins completes £51m move to Saudi side Al-Hilal

What the report says

BBC Sport Football reports that Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has completed a £51m transfer to Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal on a three-year contract. The 30-year-old England international leaves Villa after six years, during which he became the club’s leading Premier League scorer with 91 goals and played a central role in their return to regular top-six contention under Unai Emery.

According to the report, Watkins did not feature in Villa’s Premier League opener against Brighton last weekend, and Emery later said the player had apologised for making himself unavailable. Watkins posted a farewell message on social media saying he never intended for his Villa career to end this way, while thanking teammates, managers and supporters for his time at the club.

The move is the latest in a busy summer of departures for Villa, with BBC Sport noting that Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne have also left. Al-Hilal, one of Saudi football’s leading clubs, adds Watkins to a squad that already includes Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville. More broadly, the transfer underlines the continuing pull of Saudi Pro League clubs in the international market, although the BBC report focuses on Watkins’ exit and Villa career rather than wider spending trends.