"Not for sale" - Watford handed clear Imran Louza transfer advice as Lokomotiv Moscow circle | OneFootball

Watford recently received a bid for the 26-year-old

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Lokomotiv Moscow have recently submitted a bid for Watford midfielder Imran Louza, which has prompted uncertainty surrounding his future at Vicarage Road.

According to L'Équipe, the Russian outfit tabled an offer in the region of €6m/approx £5.2m, to try and secure the 26-year-old’s services.

Louza signed for the Hornets in 2021 for €9m (£7.7m) when they were operating out of the Premier League and scooped the side’s Player of the Season award last term.

A 14-cap international at senior international level with Morocco, Louza has made exactly 100 appearances for the Hornets and has long been a favoured figure among supporters.

The deep-lying midfielder handed in a transfer request earlier this summer in an attempt to exit Vicarage Road, despite having a contract running until 2028.

Louza did, however, feature in Watford’s first three games of the 2025/26 campaign, before seeing red against QPR and subsequently being hit with a three-match suspension.

Football League World’s Watford fan pundit, Justin Beattie, hopes that Watford will refuse Lokomotiv Moscow’s initial approach for Louza.

Watford told to hold firm and avoid selling Imran Louza

FLW asked Justin whether he believes the quoted figure would represent a fair price for Louza, or if the club should either be asking for a higher price or declaring Louza as not for sale.

In Justin's view, Louza is the "first name on the team sheet" and should not be for sale at this moment in time.

“£5.2m sounds too low for Imran Louza,” stated Justin. “Although he is in his final year of his contract, so bids like that are going to come in.

“But he's a player now that we really consider the first name on the team sheet. He's such an important player for us.

“The term quarterback is used a lot now in modern football, which obviously is a bit of a strange analogy as it's an American football term, but a lot of the play comes through him.

“He's got an excellent pass on him, so I think £5.2m is low and I would take a not for sale stance if I was the owner.”

Imran Louza sale would be a heavy blow for Watford

The summer of 2025 has been largely positive for Watford, as they have attacked the transfer market in an aggressive manner to try and improve on their 14th place finish from last term.

Georgian winger Nikoloz Chikovani will be their ninth incoming of the window, joining the likes of Nestory Irankunda, Othmane Maamma and Hector Kyprianou in making a move to Vicarage Road.

However, the mood around the club would be somewhat dampened if Louza was to leave.

It was reported by Sky Sports’ Anthony Joseph that the Hornets are aiming to bring another defensive midfielder in before the window slams shut on September 1, which could point towards a potential exit for Louza.

Time will tell where the 26-year-old’s future lies, but his presence would be sorely missed in the Watford engine room.