Renewed Newcastle and Brighton interest in Watford star should not be discounted: View | OneFootball

Watford's Yaser Asprilla has attracted a lot of interest after joining the club, with his performances since leaving Colombia for England impressing a number of top clubs.

The Colombian joined the club in 2022 from Envigado FC, and he immediately became a key member of the Hornets' team since then.

The midfielder has played 68 times since signing for Watford, contributing five goals and seven assists during that time. He quickly acclimatised to playing in the Championship, and, at 20-years-old is one of the most impressive young players in the division.

Watford look unlikely to challenge for promotion this season, with the club currently sitting in 11th place in the league.

However, Asprilla has impressed a number of clubs who could be looking at making a move for the youngster in the summer transfer window, especially with two goals in his last two games showing some impressive form from the 20-year-old.

With his performances impressing many in the Championship, a number of clubs in the top divisions have been linked with a move for Asprilla.

Sport reported this month that Barcelona were interested in signing the 20-year-old, with the Spanish club looking to move away from signing superstars, instead following Real Madrid's lead in signing the stars of tomorrow.

This added to the speculation over Asprilla's future, as Brighton and Newcastle were both linked with a transfer for the player in the summer, although no move ever materialised.

Asprilla even rejected any reports that he wanted to leave the club, something which will delight supporters and management alike.

This admission will make him even more of a fan-favourite, while the club will be able to command an even larger fee in the summer if they do decide to sell the forward.

Everton were also interested in the player during the January transfer window, with reports claiming that they made an offer for Asprilla that Watford deemed too low, and rejected.

reportedly interested in Asprilla, along with Everton. This could have been a good option for the player, as the Portuguese League has previously been home to a number of top Colombian stars, such as Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez.

Watford should not discount interest in the midfielder

Considering how easily he made the step up from the Colombian league to the Championship, there is little doubt that he will be able to do the same when making the jump up to the Premier League or La Liga.

Asprilla has all the skills to succeed in the higher divisions. His long ball accuracy is in the top 15% in the Championship, and he manages more long passes per 90 minutes than 96% of players in the league.

His six goals this season have come from an expected goals tally of just 4.30, showing how clinical he is in front of goal. With a stronger team creating more chances for him, it is like Asprilla can add to his total and become more of a consistent goalscorer.

Watford has also found it difficult to find a consistent spot in the team for Asprilla. He has started 16 times this season already, but has been played on either the left wing, right wing or in the centre. The constant changing of position could impact his performance, and a club that decides on a position and sticks with it could get even more impressive results from the Colombian.

It will likely require a big fee for Watford to let Asprilla go. We already saw reports of them rejecting a bid from Everton in January, so clubs will have to up their game if they want to sign the forward in the summer.

Reports suggest that it could take over £40 million to secure his signing, which could price out many clubs. However, with the potential Asprilla has shown so far at Watford, the Hornets should not take any interest in the player lightly.

It is unlikely a club like Sporting or Everton will be able to afford to sign Asprilla for that kind of money, although Brighton, Newcastle and Barcelona will likely have the finances to complete such a deal.

With the price quoted, it looks like manager Valerien Ismael is in no rush to let the player go. However, the money being quoted could help rebuild Watford into a title-challenging team in the Championship, and could transform the club's fortunes.