Aston Villa Pursue Mateta and Leao Amid Watkins Uncertainty
Aston Villa’s summer of upheaval has taken another sharp turn, with the club opening talks for Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta while pushing hard to land AC Milan star Rafael Leao – all against the backdrop of Al Hilal’s pursuit of Ollie Watkins.
Villa have made initial contact with Palace over Mateta, who has just one year left on his deal at Selhurst Park and has been on their radar since at least the winter window. The 29-year-old led the line for Palace in their 2-0 defeat to Everton at the weekend, but there is understood to be a clear gap in valuation between the two clubs.
At the same time, Villa have approached Milan about signing Leao, with talks now under way between the clubs as they race the clock ahead of the September 1 Deadline Day. The Portugal international is open to the move and Villa are treating him as a major target, not a luxury.
All of this is happening while Al Hilal continue to test Villa’s resolve over Watkins. The Saudi Pro League side are in discussions to sign the England striker and have already seen at least one bid rejected, according to Sky Sports News.
Watkins mystery deepens
The situation around Watkins escalated on Sunday when he was left out of the squad for Villa’s bruising 4-0 defeat to Brighton.
Asked after the game why his main striker was missing, Unai Emery cut a stark figure. “Ask him. I only can answer it by silence,” he told Sky Sports, a pointed line that underlined the tension around the player’s future.
Reports since have indicated Watkins returned to training on Monday and apologised to his team-mates for his absence, but the uncertainty remains. With Al Hilal circling and the window ticking down, Villa are bracing for every scenario.
That is where the forward planning comes in. Villa have long admired Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson and are expected to move for him if Watkins is sold, though Napoli and several other clubs are also in the frame for the Senegal striker.
Leao: the statement signing Emery needs
If Villa’s 4-0 collapse at Brighton exposed anything, it was the fragility of Emery’s attacking options once his first-choice players are stripped away.
With Watkins missing, Tammy Abraham and 17-year-old Brian Madjo both injured, Emery was forced to improvise. Emi Buendia and Ross Barkley were used as makeshift forwards, a patchwork solution that never looked convincing.
This is not the squad that carried Emery to Europa League glory. Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne and Ezri Konsa have already gone. Watkins and Emiliano Martinez could yet follow. The spine of his team has been ripped out in a single summer.
Villa need more than numbers. They need a new focal point.
Leao, 27, is being lined up as that kind of signing. He scored nine goals and provided three assists in 29 Serie A appearances for Milan last season, and crucially, he offers the sort of flexibility Emery has just lost with Rogers’ departure.
Comfortable as a central forward, a second striker or driving in from the left, Leao mirrors Rogers’ ability to attack from multiple zones, carry the ball at pace and threaten from distance or close range. He stretches defences, he runs at people, he changes the feel of a game.
His reputation has cooled slightly in the wider European conversation, but Emery has already shown what he can do with players whose stock has dipped. The transformation of Marcus Rashford’s form under him earlier in his career remains a reference point.
At Villa, Leao would walk into a starring role. Champions League football, a prominent place in the starting XI and a Premier League stage to relaunch his trajectory – the offer is obvious. For Emery, he would plug the star-level gap left by this summer’s exodus.
Begovic: Leao ‘would be an incredible signing’
Few know Leao better than Asmir Begovic, who shared a dressing room with him at Milan. The former AC Milan and Chelsea goalkeeper did not hold back when asked about the prospect of the forward joining Villa.
“This wouldn't be good news, it'd be great news for Villa fans! Rafael Leao would be an incredible signing,” Begovic told Sky Sports.
“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.
“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.”
What comes next?
For now, Villa are juggling three major moving parts: holding off Al Hilal on Watkins, trying to prise Mateta from Palace at the right price, and pushing Milan to agree terms on Leao before the window slams shut.
The Brighton defeat stripped everything back. It showed what this squad looks like without its headline acts and how exposed Emery is if the club does not deliver quickly in the market.
The clock is running. Will Villa emerge from this window with a rebuilt front line led by Leao, or with a gaping hole where Watkins used to be?
