Unai Emery 'raging' as Aston Villa plan to accept new Ollie Watkins offer

Aston Villa are prepared to sell Ollie Watkins for the right price as Al Hilal push for a deal in the closing stages of the transfer window.

The 30-year-old is believed to be keen to make the switch to the Saudi Pro League, as it has been implied he refused to play in Villa's 4-0 defeat to Brighton at the weekend.

Speculation about the England international's future has been rife all summer, and the final transfer fee is currently the only issue delaying his departure.

Former Aston Villa scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Aston Villa have been open to Watkins' exit all summer, but multiple factors were set to determine his future.

Watkins' future at Villa Park was set to depend not only the fee involved, but Villa's attempts to sign a new centre-forward in the closing stages of the transfer window.

Unai Emery, meanwhile, is said to have been keen to keep the forward at any cost, and will be raging at the news that he is now set to move on.

Could Ollie Watkins leave Aston Villa?

Brown told Football Insider ahead of the summer window in April that Aston Villa were considering cashing in on Watkins, placing a number of high-profile clubs on alert.

No offers had emerged until now, however, but the lucrative financial offer on the table from Al Hilal is believed to have turned the striker's head, with a move now expected.

Should an offer arrive which Villa deem acceptable, something that has not yet happened, then Watkins will be allowed to leave despite his manager's frustrations.

"A lot of the time, there's no smoke without fire and that seems to be the case with Ollie Watkins," Brown told Football Insider.

"We've been speaking about him all summer, because he's been linked with a number of different clubs, and it seems Aston Villa have not ruled out letting him go.

"I think if the right offer came in, they would accept it, so they're waiting for that big offer even if it means losing another key player.

"Unai Emery will be raging, because he's already lost some really important players from his squad, so now losing his first-choice striker will come as another massive blow.

"But from Aston Villa's point of view, they can raise a lot of money from his sale, and then go out and buy another striker to plug the gap.

"It's not always as easy as that, and they're inviting trouble by making that their plan for the window, but that seems to be the thinking behind the scenes at the moment."

How does Unai Emery feel about Aston Villa's window?

Emery is said to be growing increasingly frustrated by Aston Villa's transfer strategy this summer, havnig lost the spine of his Europa League-winning team from last season.

Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne and Ezri Konsa have all secured moves away, with Emiliano Martinez and Watkins now set to follow.

Football Insider revealed on 21 August that Emery has serious concerns about how many key players have been allowed to leave Aston Villa.

Continued major departues have raised fresh concerns for the manager, who was reportedly already frustrated by Aston Villa's lack of activity in previous windows.

While he understands the club are struggling to deal with financial restraints, the continued sales of his best players has led to questions about Emery's future.