Watford join transfer race to sign Sassuolo striker Grégoire Defrel | OneFootball

Highlights

Watford have reportedly entered the race for Sassuolo striker Grégoire Defrel, six years after first expressing interest in the player.

The Championship club are chasing promotion to the Premier League this season, as they attempt to reach the play-off places following a decent first half of the season.

The Hornets are currently eighth in the Championship, having played 27 matches in a competitive season so far, and will be hoping to finish in the top six if they can continue their performances into the second half of the season.

They have struggled at the back so far, having the worst defence out of the top eight and conceding 37 times already in the league.

While rumours of a move for defender Antonio Tikvic has been rumoured for the London club, striker Defrel could be added to the squad to give them more firepower in their race for promotion this season.

Watford join the race for Defrel in January

Reports from Italy have indicated that Watford have entered the race to sign Defrel this month, as they look to add another signing from Serie A to the squad.

Italian publication Corriere dello Sport have reported that Watford are one of the clubs interested in signing the 32-year-old Frenchman this month, looking to add another attacking presence into their squad.

However, Watford will face competition from three Serie A teams, with Udinese, Empoli and Cagliari all also reported to have interest in the striker.

As they cannot offer top flight football unlike the other three interested teams, Watford may struggle to convince the French striker to join them this month,

It was previously reported that Sassuolo were "desperate" to sell the striker this month, and he could add to the growing list of transfer deals between Watford and the Serie A, owing to the relationships between the Pozzo Family-owned clubs in the division.

While he is an interesting target for Watford this January, Defrel is a transfer risk that the club will need to be careful with.

The club were interested in signing the striker during his time at Roma, having a £20 million bid rejected for the striker in 2018. Watford have been relegated since then and their budget reduced, but so has Defrel fallen out of favour and out of form at his current club.

The Sassuolo striker has been semi-successful at I Nevroverdi, scoring 33 times and assisting 20 goals in 197 matches for the club.

However, his output has significantly lessened over the past few years, peaking at his 12 goal haul in the 2016/17 season. Since 2019, he has failed to score more than three league per season, while Defrel has failed to find the net once in his nine Serie A appearances in this current campaign.

It is clear to see why Watford are targeting a striker in this window. While Mileta Rajovic has netted nine times this season, he has performed inconsistently and struggled to be the reliable striker the club need him to be.

While he has experience on his side, it seems unlike that Defrel will roll back the years and be that for Watford. If the striker does come in with a transfer fee and Serie A wages, he could be a real risk for Watford to sign in the January transfer window.