Ollie Watkins leaves Aston Villa for Al-Hilal in £51m transfer

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has completed a £51m transfer to Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal, ending a six-year spell at Villa Park. BBC Sport reported that the 30-year-old England international has signed a three-year contract with the Riyadh club.

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Watkins departs as Aston Villa's record scorer in the Premier League, having registered 91 goals in the competition for the club. He played an important part in Villa's progress under Unai Emery, including their return to the Champions League and their Europa League triumph, the club's first European trophy in 44 years.

The forward was unavailable for Villa's Premier League opener against Brighton last weekend. Emery said Watkins had made himself unavailable and later apologised. In a social media farewell, Watkins said he had neither intended nor imagined that his time with Villa would finish in this manner, while expressing gratitude for his six seasons in Birmingham.

Watkins recalled milestones including his first Villa goals in the 7-2 win over Liverpool, helping the club return to European competition, Champions League nights at Villa Park and the Europa League final victory in Istanbul. He also thanked former Villa managers Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard, as well as Emery, and said becoming the club's record Premier League scorer was an achievement he had not expected when he arrived.

At Al-Hilal, Watkins joins Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville, who moved from West Ham after their relegation from the Premier League. BBC Sport also reported that Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli is due to travel to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for a medical with Al-Hilal.

Villa have already signed a replacement in attack, completing a £65m deal for Bayern Munich striker Nicolas Jackson. The club also broke its transfer record earlier in July to recruit Swiss midfielder Johan Manzambi, while Joao Gomes, Zion Suzuki and Matteo Ruggeri have joined during a broad squad overhaul. Villa are also closing in on a £29m move for Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis, with only minor details reported to remain before Tuesday's transfer deadline.