Aston Villa are close to signing Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson for a club-record £65m, with manager Unai Emery hoping he can debut against Arsenal on Monday. The move would replace Ollie Watkins, who is nearing a £50m transfer to Al-Hilal after rejecting a new Villa contract; Emery said the transition represents a “new chapter” despite the disappointment surrounding Watkins’s final match.

Watkins apologised to Emery and his teammates after refusing to play in Villa’s 4-0 defeat at Brighton, and Emery said the incident should not overshadow his four years of service or Premier League-era club record of 91 goals in 221 appearances. Villa could also give debuts to Leon Goretzka and goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, while Chelsea are pursuing Martínez and weighing midfield options as Manchester City consider a deal for Enzo Fernández, for whom Chelsea may demand more than £120m.