Al-Hilal Plans Future with Ollie Watkins Amid Benzema Standoff
Al-Hilal are already sketching out life after Karim Benzema. The plan has a clear focal point: Ollie Watkins.
Simone Inzaghi has placed the Aston Villa striker at the top of his summer wish list, seeing the England international as the man to lead Al-Hilal’s attack next season. According to MaxiFoot, the Saudi club are ready to move on from their 38-year-old French star as they look to refresh and re-energise an ageing squad.
There is one problem. A big, expensive one.
Benzema stand-off freezes Watkins move
Any push for Watkins is on hold until Benzema’s contractual saga is resolved. The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner is demanding full payment of the final year of his deal before agreeing to a mutual termination. That condition has brought talks with Al-Hilal to a halt and left both sides locked in a financial stand-off.
The tension spilled into public view during Al-Hilal’s 4-2 win over Al Faisaly on Friday. Benzema scored, but the goal did not soften the blow when he was substituted with 20 minutes to play, replaced by youngster Kader Meite. His frustration on the touchline was impossible to miss.
Inzaghi moved quickly to cool the narrative.
“We talked about that after the match,” he told the media. “It’s normal that he wants to play every match, and I understand him because I was a striker too. At that moment, we had another young player available, Kader Meite, who represents the future of the club. I was joking with Karim after the match, and I have a respectful relationship with him. He is not only a great champion, but also a very great professional.”
The words were calm. The reality behind the scenes is anything but.
Age, quotas and a ruthless rebuild
Despite Inzaghi’s diplomatic tone, the same report states that Al-Hilal’s hierarchy remain intent on cutting ties with Benzema. Their stance is shaped by the strict foreign player quotas that govern the Saudi Pro League and a clear desire to lower the squad’s average age before next season.
Benzema, a marquee arrival, now finds himself on the wrong side of that strategy.
Watkins, by contrast, fits it perfectly. At 30, he offers experience without tipping the squad further into veteran territory. Per AS, Inzaghi has pinpointed the Aston Villa forward as an ideal focal point after he hit 21 goals in 55 appearances during the 2025-26 campaign. Those numbers, produced in the intensity of the Premier League and European competition, have not gone unnoticed.
For Al-Hilal, Watkins represents more than a signing. He represents a shift: younger legs, relentless pressing, a different tempo at the top of the pitch.
But the door to that future is blocked by one foreign slot. And one contract.
All eyes on Benzema’s decision
Everything now turns on the negotiation table. Until Benzema and Al-Hilal agree terms on a termination, the club cannot formally advance for Watkins. The foreign player slot remains occupied, the wage bill remains heavy, and the rebuild remains theoretical.
If Benzema accepts a deal, Al-Hilal are ready to move fast. Their pursuit of Watkins will accelerate immediately, with the club determined not to lose ground in a market where top-level forwards are scarce and heavily courted.
For the moment, though, the former Real Madrid captain is still an Al-Hilal player. He trains, he scores, he bristles at substitutions. And everyone inside the club knows that, as the summer window looms, one decision from Benzema will shape the entire direction of their next era.
