As Al Hilal step up their pursuit, Ollie Watkins' future at Aston Villa is becoming increasingly uncertain.
Various reports last night stated that the Saudi Pro League side had a €45m bid rejected for the Aston Villa centre forward, with Watkins reportedly open to the move.
The 30-year-old was a member of England's squad for the 2026 World Cup and is one of three Aston Villa players to have been given extended time off in this pre-season.
Ezri Konsa and Emiliano Martinez, the other two players yet to feature in the off season, are both also heavily linked with moves away from Unai Emery's side.
Having joined Aston Villa from Brentford in 2021 for a then-club record fee, Watkins has had a scintilating five years with the Villans, scoring 108 goals and registering 47 assists in 278 games across all competitions, with 91 of those goals coming in the Premier League.
The reports state that Aston Villa do not want to sell their striker this summer, but - as has been the case with almost all players this summer - he is available for the right price.
With that said, we take a look at three players who could potentially replace the striker at Villa Park.
Nicolas Jackson
The most obvious but complicated choice to replace Ollie Watkins, Nicolas Jackson could finally be reuinted with Unai Emery this summer.
Stylistically, Jackson would be the ideal replacement for the Englishman, with the Senegal international possessing a number of similar characteristics to Watkins, alongside being five years younger.
Any potential deal would be complicated by UEFA regulations around swap deals, which would essentially prevent Aston Villa from signing a player permanently from Chelsea until at least 45 days after Morgan Rogers joined the Blues, which based on announcements is 4th September - after the window is closed.
Villa could have circumvented these by initially loaning Jackson, but this has already taken place with Alejandro Garnacho and the Villans can only loan one player from each Premier League team under the competition's regulations.
Emery's side could still purchase Jackson before the end of the window, but - unless the signing of Rogers was completed earlier than announced, UEFA would reduce the 'book' profit of the Rogers deal by the amount spent on Jackson, making it a financial disaster for a side currently struggling with the same regulations.
Still, with Emery desperate for a reunion with Jackson, and the Spaniard's control at Aston Villa almost 100%, don't be surprised to see the Senegal international don the famous claret and blue come deadline day.
Jonathan David
Another with a similar profile to that of the Englishman, Jonathan David would be a good fit for the Aston Villa striker position.
The 26-year-old, currently at Juventus, has fallen out of favour since making the move to Turin last summer on a free transfer, scoring just six goals in 35 Serie A matches.
However, the 82-cap Canada international scored 109 goals and registered 31 assists in 232 games for Ligue 1 side Lille, similar output to Watkins at Villa.
Alongside this, he has also scored 42 goals for his country, at a rate of over one goal every two matches - or 0.51 per match.
The Old Lady are reportedly keen to shift David off their books, making him a potential market opportunity for a side walking the tight rope of financial regulations.
Marcus Rashford
After an impressive six month loan back in 2025, could Aston Villa offer Marcus Rashford an escape from Old Trafford this summer?
While not reflected in the numbers, Rashford made a significant impact at Villa Park in his short time with the club, displacing Watkins from the starting XI up front.
Wages may prove a stumbling block, but if Manchester United are open to loaning out the 27-year-old again this summer, the Villans could pay a large portion of that wage, as they did 18 months ago.
It remains to be seen whether or not Rashford would be interested in a return to Villa Park, but he would certainly be a big name incoming for the Villans this summer.
Bonus: No one
While this may seem a risky strategy, there is certainly scope for the Villans to bank the money from Watkins' sale and buy no one.
Why? Brian Madjo.
With Tammy Abraham already at the club - and reportedly on a heavy wage - the Villans already have their 'first choice' experienced striker on the books to lead them into the campaign.
This is where Madjo comes in.
The 17-year-old made an immediate impact on his debut in the UEFA Super Cup, becoming the youngest ever scorer in that match in the process, thrusting him into the spotlight.
It remains to be seen just how much Emery trusts Madjo going into the new campaign, but he is set to play a big part for the Villans this season either way.
All of this is to say, why not just trust him to compete with Tammy Abraham for the starting role, just as Jhon Duran did with Watkins two years ago?
