Watford are close to luring Rennes attacker Ismaila Sarr to the Vicarage Road, it has been reported.
The fee of around €30million has been quoted by the French outfit and the Watford Observer have claimed that the two clubs are locked in discussions.
Having finished eleventh in the Premier League standings last season, Watford must look to finish in the top half and will have an eye on the top 8 spot for next season.
Although they have secured the signings of Craig Dawson, Joao Pedro, and Tom Dele-Bashiru, they are still active in the transfer market looking to beef up their squad further.
Any eventual fee for Sarr is expected to break Watford’s current record of £18.5million transfer fee which they had paid to sign striker Andre Gray back in 2017, according to BBC.
There is no doubt that Sarr is one of the hottest properties in the game right now and it will make a lot of sense if Watford actually manage to make him sign on the dotted line.
What will he bring to the table?
Ken Sema and Isaac Success haven’t been able to find their footing in the Premier League so far, while Roberto Pereyra and Will Hughes were far from convincing last season.
Javi Gracia’s side need a productive winger like Sarr who smashed 8 goals and registered 6 assists in 35 appearances in the French top-flight during the previous campaign.
Sarr is undoubtedly a versatile player as he can ply his trade across the attacking line without a drop in level in any of the positions.
Although the detractors might point out that he lacks experience of English football, he has all the ingredients required to excel therein.
With the ability to dribble past defenders at a lightning pace, the Senegalese international steps up in the big games and his maturity belies his age.
He can engineer adequate goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates regularly and at the same time poses a solid threat to the opposition goal.
By no means is the 21-year-old a finished article but under the tutelage of Gracia and given the level of the Premier League, he can take his game to the next level at Watford who will look to have a consistent season this time around.