Breakthrough emerges in Watford’s pursuit of Hibernian man | OneFootball

Watford have had a bid in the region of £400,000 to £500,ooo accepted by Hibernian for Ryan Porteous, according to Sky Sports Transfer Centre (January 26th, 9.48am).

The Scottish centre back has been a popular name in the transfer window so far, but with the deadline approaching it would appear that the Hornets are the closest club to landing the 23-year-old.

Porteous has been a crucial player in the Hibees’ backline this season and with his deal up in the summer, there is some value in the market to be had in acquiring his services.

With William Troost-Ekong heading to Serie A and Salernitana on loan with an option to buy, the Hornets have acted quickly to table a suitable offer to Lee Johnson’s side.

Hibs have struggled for consistency on the whole this season despite edging their way into the Scottish Premiership’s top six, however, the lure of a promotion push in the Championship may entice Porteous, who will believe that his best years lie ahead of him.

Watford’s current injury crisis would suggest that Porteous would start picking up significant minutes quickly at Vicarage Road, and given the number of clubs who have been monitoring his progress, he would arrive in the second tier with a big reputation.

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There is an element of buying potential factored into the fee that the Hornets have had accepted, and with only three centre backs at the club on deals beyond the end of the season, this is a smart month to start bolstering their backline in preparation for the summer.

Slaven Bilic has reliable centre backs for the level at his disposal right now, and the expertise of Craig Cathcart, Francisco Sierralta and Christian Kabasele should aid Porteous’ transition into the first team.

The automatic promotion picture feels a long way off for the Hornets, but if they can put together the kind of end to the season that they did under Xisco Munoz in 2020/21, they may give themselves an outside chance of sneaking in at some stage.