Unai Emery doesn’t want Ollie Watkins to leave Villa Park, but admits it’s on the table.
The Aston Villa boss told reporters on Friday that the England forward could transfer elsewhere before the window shuts on Sept. 1.
“We have an issue with him, it’s clear,” Emery said ahead of his team’s season-opening match at Brighton on Sunday. “He is our player. We have had offers for him. I don’t want to sell him, but it can change because if it’s a good option for him and the club and I can replace him in the squad, this is the routine we have and we did before with the players who are leaving.”
Watkins, 30, joined Villa from Brentford in 2020 in a £28 million move after scoring 25 goals in the Championship with the Bees in 2019-2020. Watkins would go to become Villa’s all-time goals leader in the Premier League, notching 91 goals in 221 appearances across six seasons. The Torquay native had 16 goals last season.
Emery says Watkins will only leave if it makes sense for all parties.
“I’m happy with him, if he is staying with us he will continue playing his level,” the Spaniard said. “If he leaving it’s because it is good for three ways, one is him, another is the club and another is the team.”
Villa is believed to have rejected a £45 million approach from Saudi side Al-Hillal. Both Manchester United and Arsenal have checked in on the player over the past 12 months.
Internationally, Watkins has been capped 24 times by England since his senior debut in 2021, scoring seven goals. He made two appearances at the 2026 World Cup in which the Three Lions finished in third place.
