Aston Villa Targets Mateta and Leao Amid Watkins Uncertainty
Aston Villa have opened talks with Crystal Palace over Jean-Philippe Mateta and are in negotiations with AC Milan for Rafael Leao, as uncertainty around Ollie Watkins’ future forces a rapid rethink of Unai Emery’s forward line.
Al Hilal are pushing hard to prise Watkins away, with the Saudi Pro League club in discussions to sign the England striker and at least one bid already rejected. Villa are holding their ground for now, but the club’s transfer work shows they are bracing for every scenario.
Watkins’ absence from the 4-0 defeat at Brighton on Sunday only intensified the noise. Left out of the match-day squad, he became the story after the game when Emery, asked why his top scorer was missing, simply told Sky Sports: “Ask him. I only can answer it by silence.”
Reports since have indicated Watkins returned to training on Monday and apologised to his team-mates for his absence, but the sense of instability around Villa’s attack has not gone away.
Villa turn to Mateta
Against that backdrop, Villa have revived their interest in Mateta, a player they tracked as far back as the winter window. The 29-year-old, who has just one year left on his Palace contract, started in Palace’s 2-0 defeat to Everton at the weekend and remains a central figure for Oliver Glasner.
There is, however, a gap in valuation between the clubs. Palace know his importance and his contract situation gives them a delicate decision to make. Villa, wary of overpaying for a striker who is not their only target, are probing the market while they talk.
Mateta would give Emery a physically imposing No 9, but he is not the only name on the list – and not the most glamorous.
Leao the headline act
The marquee pursuit is Leao. Villa are serious about bringing the Portuguese forward to Birmingham, and crucially, Leao has shown an openness to the move.
Talks between Villa and Milan are under way as both sides look to find an agreement before Deadline Day on September 1. Any deal would be a major statement from a club that has already seen its Europa League-winning core heavily eroded this summer.
Leao, 27, offers something Villa badly lack at the moment: star power and versatility. He can play as a central striker, operate as a second forward, or attack from the left wing. Last season he scored nine goals and provided three assists in 29 Serie A appearances, numbers that only tell part of the story of his threat.
With Morgan Rogers gone, Villa have lost a player who could glide across the front line, carry the ball at pace and unpick defences from multiple starting positions. Leao mirrors that profile. He drives at defenders, commits players, and carries a constant goal threat from different zones.
His standing in the game has dipped slightly in recent seasons, but Emery has already shown what he can do with talented forwards in need of a reset. Marcus Rashford’s resurgence under him at Manchester United remains a reference point. At Villa, Emery has already elevated Rogers and Watkins, pushing both to new levels before this summer’s upheaval.
A squad ripped apart
That upheaval is impossible to ignore. Youri Tielemans, Rogers, Lucas Digne and Ezri Konsa have all departed. Watkins and Emiliano Martinez could yet follow. At Brighton, the scale of the issue was laid bare as Villa were forced to use Emi Buendia and Ross Barkley as makeshift forwards in a heavy 4-0 defeat.
Tammy Abraham and 17-year-old Brian Madjo were also unavailable through injury, leaving Emery with a patched-up attack and little in the way of natural options. The performance looked like a team stripped of its spine and its spark.
With Deadline Day approaching, Villa are under pressure to rebuild on the fly while still selling the project as upwardly mobile. Champions League football gives them leverage. So does the promise of a prominent role in Emery’s starting XI.
Leao, in that sense, fits perfectly. He would walk into a leading role, inherit responsibility and be given the platform to reassert himself on one of the biggest stages in club football.
Jackson still on the radar
Villa’s recruitment team have not forgotten another long-term target: Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson. The club have admired him for some time and had been expected to move if Watkins was sold to Al Hilal.
Jackson is likely to leave Chelsea before the deadline and is attracting interest from Napoli and several other clubs. For Villa, he remains part of the contingency planning – a different profile to Mateta, a different situation to Leao, but another potential piece in an attack that may need rebuilding in a hurry.
‘An incredible signing’
For those who know Leao well, the idea of him in claret and blue is an exciting one. Former AC Milan and Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, speaking on Sky Sports, did not hold back.
“This wouldn't be good news, it'd be great news for Villa fans! Rafael Leao would be an incredible signing,” he said.
“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 – changing managers, shifting roles – as a factor in Leao’s inconsistency, and then drew a straight line to Emery’s work at Villa.
“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.”
Huge is exactly what Villa need right now. With their squad stripped, their main striker courted by Saudi money and the clock ticking towards September 1, the next few days will define whether this is a reload at the top level – or the start of a painful step backwards.
