Watford transfer rumours: Twist emerges in club's ongoing pursuit of £12.8m-rated ace | OneFootball

It has been a busy summer of transfer activity for Watford who are aiming to establish themselves at Premier League next season following their promotion from the Championship earlier this year.

The Hornets have already secured permanent deals for Danny Rose, Kwadwo Baah, Mattie Pollock, Ashley Fletcher, Imran Louza and Emmanuel Dennis.

Meanwhile, the likes of Ben Wilmot, Jerome Sinclair and Carlos Sanchez have all parted ways with Watford.

Not content with six new arrivals, Hornets manager Xisco Munoz has been heavily linked with a move for Sporting Lisbon winger Jovane Cabral this month.

A recent report by Portuguese news outlet Record (as cited by Sport Witness) revealed that the Lions were willing to cash in on the 23-year-old amid interest from Watford.

Cabral helped Sporting win the Liga NOS title last season by providing nine direct goal contributions in 24 appearances for the club.

However, due to the presence of Pedro Goncalves and Nuno Santos, the winger was limited to just six league starts which disrupted his rhythm.

In a fresh update concerning Cabral's future, it has now been suggested that Sporting are reportedly set to lower their asking price this summer.

According to A Bola (as cited by Sport Witness), the Portuguese side are now willing to accept an offer of €15m (£12.8m) for the winger after initially valuing him at €20m (£17.1m).

Whereas Watford have been touted as potential suitors, this particular report has outlined that Leeds United, Southampton and West Ham United could all be in contention for Cabral's signature.

It is understood that Sporting are looking to sell Cabral in order to potentially fund a deal for Vitoria de Guimaraes winger Marcus Edwards.

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GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...

Whilst the Hornets have been consistently linked with Cabral in recent weeks, they have yet to make a move for the Cape Verde international.

With the winger now seemingly attracting interest from other top-flight sides, Watford will need to make a decision on whether to step up their pursuit.

Although Cabral did manage to average a relatively impressive WhoScored match rating of 6.72 for Sporting last season, there is no guarantee that he will be able to adapt to the competitiveness that the Premier League is famed for.

Furthermore, when you consider that Munoz has placed his trust in the likes of Ismaila Sarr and Ken Sema since being handed over the reins at Vicarage Road, Cabral may struggle to overtake this particular duo in the pecking order.

Instead of spending a considerable amount of money on the winger, the Hornets should instead use the funds made available to them to draft in some players who know exactly what it takes to compete in the top-flight.