Al-Hilal ready fourth Ollie Watkins bid as Aston Villa transfer plans become clearer

Al-Hilal are ready to return with another bid for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, with Saudi Pro League sources telling TEAMtalk that their next proposal will be their fourth offer for the England international this summer.

The Saudi giants are preparing to make a fresh move before the weekend after submitting their third bid to Villa earlier this week, but the offer remains below the figure the Premier League club want.

We revealed last week that Watkins had already agreed terms with Al-Hilal, and that breakthrough has encouraged the Saudi club to keep pushing for an agreement.

Their latest proposal was worth around €45million (£38.5m / $52.5m), but TEAMtalk understands Villa are holding out for closer to €60million (£51.4m / $70m).

There is, however, growing confidence that a deal can be done.

TEAMtalk understands Villa are open to selling Watkins and that position has been reinforced by their continued desire to sign Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea before the transfer window closes.

Villa have been keen on Jackson throughout the summer, but a deal has been complicated by the recent sale of Morgan Rogers.

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Aston Villa await Watkins bid amid complicated Jackson pursuit

The issue relates to UEFA’s 45-day rule, which is designed to prevent clubs artificially inflating profits through linked player trading or transfers between the same clubs within a short period.

Villa are now in a position to complete a straightforward deal because of the significant sales they have made this summer, but we understand doing so could have a major impact on the profit Villa are able to recognise from the Rogers transfer.

There are, however, ways of structuring the transaction to get around that issue.

One scenario, which could be looked at, is for Jackson to be moved via Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg, allowing the clubs to find a structure that satisfies the financial and regulatory requirements.

The situation is therefore being worked on in parallel with Watkins’ potential departure.

Watkins himself remains keen on the move to Saudi Arabia and as mentioned, has already agreed terms with Al-Hilal. We understand that has given the Saudi club significant encouragement as they prepare another attempt to close the gap on the transfer fee.

The expectation is that Al-Hilal will return with an improved offer before the weekend as they continue their pursuit of the 29-year-old.

They are also looking to strengthen out wide and have been assessing Pedro Neto, Savinho and Rafael Leao as part of their wider attacking plans.

Watkins, though, remains one of their major priorities and with the player receptive to the move, Al-Hilal are prepared to continue pushing.

Villa’s position is equally clear: they are prepared to sell if their valuation is met. That leaves the Saudi club with another opportunity to bridge the gap with a fourth bid, while Villa continue working on the potential Jackson deal which could ultimately play an important role in determining Watkins’ future.