Watford set to finalise record-breaking transfer deal with announcement potentially expected today | OneFootball

Watford are closing in on the signing of Montreal midfielder Ismael Kone, according to an update on Twitter from journalist Fabrizio Romano yesterday evening.

The 20-year-old hasn’t been short of interest from Championship clubs this year, with Norwich City believed to have been pursuing a deal for him before his move to Carrow Road fell through.

However, he was believed to have been lined up as a potential replacement for Sander Berge at Sheffield United, potentially providing him with another opportunity to move to England at some point.

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Norway international Berge has been linked with a move away from Bramall Lane for well over a year now, though an exit is yet to materialise with the 24-year-old potentially set to remain in South Yorkshire for a while now.

And it had been reported that Paul Heckingbottom’s men were continuing to keep tabs on him – but have now been beaten in the race by the Hornets who are set to recruit the Canada international on a four-and-a-half-year deal.

According to the Watford Observer, this is a deal that exceeds €6m which would be a record sale for Montreal with the final bits and pieces of this deal now in the process of being completed. His arrival could even be officially confirmed today.

The Verdict:

This could be an excellent addition for the Hornets because at 20, Kone is only going to get better and has richly benefitted from his experience at the World Cup with Canada.

Although his game time was limited, partly due to the fact his nation didn’t make it past the knockout stages, the chance to perform on the biggest stage would have been valuable and he could slot into life in Hertfordshire seamlessly.

One thing he definitely needs to develop is game time and this is why he has to start regularly – because they face the prospect of the midfielder not fulfilling his potential unless they supply him with an adequate amount of game time.

With the EFL’s profitability and sustainability rules to think about, they need to make sure they are getting value for money on players and they will from this deal as long as he can remain fit and starts games.

Considering he’s played on the world stage, there are no reasons why he can’t be a regular starter at Vicarage Road, even though there are other options for Slaven Bilic to choose from.

It at some point too.