Al-Hilal close to about £50m agreement for Ollie Watkins, Thursday transfer gossip reports
Al-Hilal have agreed a deal of about £50m with Aston Villa to sign England forward Ollie Watkins, 30, according to Thursday’s transfer gossip published on 26 August 2026. The same round-up links Chelsea with Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott and reports Sunderland have submitted an approach for Manchester City winger Jack Grealish.
The transfer bulletin compiles multiple reported approaches and potential moves across Europe. Chelsea are reportedly searching for a replacement for Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, 25, with Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, 23, named as a candidate by the Sun. Fabrizio Romano is cited for the Watkins agreement, while Sunderland’s approach for Grealish is attributed to The Athletic.
Al-Hilal’s reported agreement with Aston Villa is described as being worth about £50m for Watkins, who is 30. That specific valuation and the club-to-club accord are linked to Fabrizio Romano in the original report.
Chelsea’s midfield and defensive recruitment features twice in the round-up: the Sun names Alex Scott as a replacement target if Enzo Fernandez departs, and Sky Sport Italy reports Chelsea are closing in on a £36m deal to sign Italy defender Honest Ahanor, 18, from Atalanta. The two items are presented as separate potential incomings for Chelsea.
Other notable moves reported include AC Milan winger Rafael Leao, 27, who is said to be close to a move with Galatasaray set to pay about £38m, according to Corriere dello Sport. Sunderland have reportedly made Manchester City an offer to take Jack Grealish, 30, on loan, a claim cited to The Athletic.
Several clubs are linked with wide and defensive reinforcements: Alejandro Balde, 22, is reported to remain on Manchester United’s shortlist (Fichajes), and Newcastle have not closed the door on signing Lille winger Matias Fernandez-Pardo, 21, though reports say they will avoid moves that breach Premier League and UEFA spending rules (Mail). L’Equipe states Bayer Leverkusen’s Martin Terrier, 29, is being lined up by Lille as a replacement for Fernandez-Pardo.
Additional items in the gossip column list Fiorentina turning down Nottingham Forest’s initial £6m offer for Brazilian right-back Dodo, 27 (Sky Sport Italy); Marseille expressing confidence in keeping Brazilian forward Igor Paixao, 26, despite interest from Arsenal and Sunderland (Teamtalk); Aston Villa asking about West Ham defender Jean-Clair Todibo, 26 (Mail); Exequiel Palacios, 27, close to a £23.5m move from Bayer Leverkusen to Ipswich Town (Sky Sports); and Everton targeting Midtjylland forward Franculino, 22, while being prepared to sell Republic of Ireland defender Jake O'Brien, 25 (Teamtalk).
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