Watford should seriously consider hijacking Rangers transfer swoop: Opinion | OneFootball

With two games of the Championship season left to play, Watford are facing a very realistic chance of finishing in the bottom half of the table.

By any measure, it has been a very poor campaign at Vicarage Road, with the club now facing a second season in the division.

There will likely need to be a lot of transfer business done this summer at the club if next season is to be a success, and this applies particularly to the striking department.

Henrique Araujo and Keinan Davis will return to Benfica and Aston Villa respectively when their loan spells end. Britt Assombalonga is only contracted until the end of the season, and it seems very likely that the Hornets most valuable asset - Joao Pedro - will be cashed in on.

That leaves just Vakoun Bayo and Ashley Fletcher as the only recognised senior strikers at the club, both of whom are currently out on loan, and it is hard to see either of them having a future at the club.

There is the potential for a complete reset in the attack for the Hornets, then, and one player they should consider looking at is currently being targeted by Scottish giants Rangers.

Who do Rangers want to sign this summer?

Indeed, as per Alan Nixon via Patreon, the Scottish side are keeping track of Blackpool striker Jerry Yates ahead of the summer.

As Nixon reports, one of the club's top scouts has watched him multiple times in the last fortnight, with the Glasweigian side hoping for a bargain this summer.

Nixon states that any fee for the forward is likely to be under the £5 million price tag placed upon him during the January transfer window.

Why should Watford hijack Rangers' interest in Yates?

As mentioned above, the club are going to need attacking reinforcements this summer, and with the club having scouted him previously, there is a lot to like about Yates.

First and foremost, his form this season in a struggling Blackpool side has been impressive.

14 goals and six assists in all competitions in a side looking likely to be relegated is no easy achievement.

Furthermore, with Blackpool likely to go down, their hand is likely to be weakened when it comes to Yates' transfer value.

Indeed, although contracted until 2024, with the option for a further year, it is likely Yates will go for far less than the £5 million January valuation placed upon him, meaning someone, the Hornets included, could get themselves a bargain.

If there were any further selling points needed, Yates is a versatile player, and able to play off the left and right, as well as through the centre.