Aston Villa Pursue Mateta and Leao Amid Watkins Uncertainty

Aston Villa’s forward line is being torn up and redrawn in real time.

With Al Hilal pushing hard to prise Ollie Watkins out of Birmingham, Villa have opened initial talks with Crystal Palace over Jean-Philippe Mateta and are deep in discussions with AC Milan for Rafael Leao as they race the clock before the September 1 deadline.

Watkins saga casts a long shadow

The Watkins situation hangs over everything.

The England striker was left out of the squad for Sunday’s bruising 4-0 defeat at Brighton. Asked afterwards to explain the omission, Unai Emery offered only a pointed response to Sky Sports: “Ask him. I only can answer it by silence.”

Behind that silence, there is noise. Sky Sports News has reported that Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal are in talks to sign Watkins and have already seen at least one bid rejected. Reports since the weekend say Watkins returned to training on Monday and apologised to his team-mates for his absence, but uncertainty over his future remains.

Villa, braced for the possibility of losing their main striker, have moved quickly.

Mateta talks underline need for a No 9

The club have made initial contact with Crystal Palace over Mateta, who is into the final year of his deal at Selhurst Park and has been on Villa’s radar since at least the winter window.

The 29-year-old started Palace’s 2-0 defeat to Everton at the weekend, but there is a clear gap in valuation between the two clubs. Palace know they risk losing him for nothing next summer. Villa know that, too, and are trying to exploit the leverage.

He is not the only centre-forward they like. Villa have long admired Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, who is expected to leave Stamford Bridge before the deadline and is drawing interest from Napoli and several other clubs. Sky Sports News has previously reported that Villa were ready to move for Jackson if Watkins completed a switch to Al Hilal.

For now, Watkins is still a Villa player. But the club are acting as if that could change at any moment.

Leao: the marquee answer to a ripped-up attack

The real headline move, though, is Leao.

Villa and Milan are in contact and now negotiating over a deal for the 27-year-old, who has shown an openness to the move. With the window closing on September 1, both clubs are working against a clear deadline.

Leao’s appeal to Emery is obvious. He can operate as a central forward, a second striker or off the left, the same zones Morgan Rogers occupied with such influence before his departure. Last season, Leao scored nine goals and added three assists in 29 Serie A appearances, numbers that only hint at his ability to drive at defenders and unsettle entire back lines on his own.

This is not a squad seeking depth. It is a squad seeking reconstruction.

The Brighton defeat laid that bare. With Watkins unavailable and both Tammy Abraham and 17-year-old Brian Madjo injured, Emery had to turn to Emi Buendia and Ross Barkley as makeshift forwards. A Europa League-winning group has been stripped: Youri Tielemans, Rogers, Lucas Digne and Ezri Konsa have already gone. Watkins and Emiliano Martinez could yet follow.

Villa need reinforcements with presence, not just numbers. Leao fits that brief.

He would step into a dressing room that can offer Champions League football, a prominent starting role and a Premier League platform he has been linked with for years. For Emery, he represents a way to plug the star-quality gap left by the exodus and to rebuild an attack around a player with genuine top-end talent.

Begovic: ‘Leao would be an incredible signing’

Those who know Leao well believe he is made for this stage.

“This wouldn’t be good news, it’d be great news for Villa fans!” former AC Milan and Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic told Sky Sports. “Rafael Leao would be an incredible signing.

“I have played with him. I have seen the potential, pace, power and skill.

“He will be super suited to the Premier League. His game, the talent he has and the physical attributes he has will suit the Premier League.”

Begovic pointed to the turbulence at Milan as a factor in Leao’s recent dip in status.

“At Milan, he came through the ranks and really developed. He had good senior players and had consistency. Things started to change, a lot of managers started to change.

“It hasn’t helped his consistency. Everyone has played him slightly differently. Look at Unai Emery and what he has done to some of the players at Aston Villa.

“Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins, taking their careers to the next level.

“Rafael Leao, working with Emery and getting the opportunity to be the main player at Villa, it would be huge.”

Emery’s next project

Emery has already shown he can revive and reshape attacking careers. Marcus Rashford’s resurgence under him at previous club level is often cited as a benchmark for what his detailed, demanding coaching can unlock in a forward.

Leao, whose reputation has stalled rather than collapsed, looks like the kind of high-ceiling project Emery relishes: a player who can carry the ball, stretch defences, and, if the fit is right, become the face of a new-look Villa frontline.

The question now is stark. With Watkins courted by Saudi money, Mateta and Jackson on the list, and Leao within reach, what will Aston Villa’s attack actually look like when the window slams shut on September 1?