"Maybe the time is right" - Ismael Kone claim made as West Ham and Roma eye Watford star | OneFootball

The international is said to be a target of some of the top teams in Europe.

Another summer window provides another opportunity for Watford to try and escape the grasps of the Championship's middle pack, but it's also one that could see their team get weakened.

Even though the Hornets were not a standout team last season, or one that really surprised people with players that performed way above expectations, they do have a couple of squad members that are very attractive options to teams above them.

Chief among those is Yaser Asprilla. The Colombian winger has been linked with Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion by reports from his homeland. This comes after Spanish giants Barcelona were reported to have taken a liking to the 20-year-old.

Watford may struggle to hold onto another one of their internationals. Ismael Koné is a transfer target of West Ham United and Marseille, according to Italian journalist Matteo Moretto, as well as Roma, who Fabrizio Romano believes will have the Canadian on their list of targets for the remainder of the window.

Danielle De Rossi, legendary Roma midfielder and now boss of the club, is said to have picked out Koné as a potential option for their midfield, as per Corriere dello Sport.

The 22-year-old has only been at Vicarage Road for just over a year-and-a-half, but Football League World'sWatford fan pundit, Justin Beattie, fears that this summer may be Koné's last in yellow and black.

Watford fan's Ismael Koné transfer worries

Beattie believes that, as much as it may sting for the club and the fans, for the midfielder, personally, it may be the right time for him to try and test himself at a higher level.

He told

"Personally, I think that he's almost there, and I think that a team like a Marseille or West Ham would suit him very well. He is very well liked at Watford, so it would be sad to see him go.

"But I think that the time is maybe right for him to try and play at a higher level."

Watford need to capitalise on these talents that they are producing

It's only around a year ago that Joao Pedro was bought by Brighton for almost £30 million. If they were to lose Koné and Asprilla this summer, that would surely bring in a similar amount of money for the two combined, if not more.

It is hard to keep rebuilding teams and plucking undiscovered talents out of thin air all whilst being a true challenger for promotion. But, with that said, the money that they should logically have at their disposal dictates that they should be able to push a bit higher up the table.

Losing Koné would, of course, affect their chances of finishing in a decent position in the Championship. He is a key cog in Watford's system, someone that can do a lot of the things that you'd want a traditional centre-mid to do, as well as provide a few goals and assists here and there.

A player of his calibre will demand a decent fee, but Watford have to make sure that they aren't just a procurer and developer of youthful players. They can be more than that and the resources that they generate from offloading players like him, and Pedro in the past, should allow them to be that.