Aston Villa agree £65m Jackson deal with Watkins departing for £50m

Villa have agreed a £65million deal for Nicolas Jackson - with Ollie Watkins on course to leave for Saudi club Al-Hilal.

It comes amid talks between Villa and Chelsea over goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez going the other way.

World Cup winner Martinez is seeking a new club after Villa brought in Zion Suzuki to replace him as No.1 and the Premier League club have emerged as potential suitors.

Martinez’s representatives, who have been attempting to engineer his exit from Villa for the past two summers, have been in touch with Chelsea over a potential deal.

Talks between the clubs have accelerated since the Blues’ current No.1, Robert Sanchez, endured a tough night during their 3-2 win at Fulham on Monday.

Discussions over Martinez were taking place in parallel to negotiations over Jackson, who has been Villa’s primary striker target.

It was reported on Wednesday evening that £65million was agreed with Chelsea. That has opened the door for Ollie Watkins to join Al-Hilal in a reported £50m.

Though Villa, at least in public, continued to express their desire to keep the England striker, there was an acknowledgement a separation might be the best outcome for all parties.

One deal which won’t happen is the arrival of defender Joel Ordonez from Club Brugge.

Villa had been advancing in talks to sign the 22-year-old Ecuador international but those have now stalled, with the player instead expected to join Crystal Palace.

Southampton’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis remains a player of interest to Villa, albeit the clubs have so far been some way apart on valuation. West Ham’s Jean-Clair Todibo is a potential alternative.