Watford have rejected a £32million bid from Everton for French midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure, according to the Watford Observer.
Reports had surfaced in France over the weekend that the Blues board had approached the Hornets looking to prise another of their key assets away from Vicarage Road, having completed the acquisition of Richarlison last summer.
RMC Sport claimed in their live transfer feed on Saturday (August 3, 19:22) that we have held a long-standing interest in signing Doucoure, but stepped up our efforts toward the end of the week with an official approach.
The offer was believed to have been in the region of £32million, and was instantly rejected by Watford as they see the former Stade Rennais unit as an integral part of Javi Gracia’s plans.
But Marco Silva is very interested in signing the 26-year-old, and is expected to instruct Marcel Brands to return with an improved offer in a bid to sign the former France youth international at all costs ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
Doucoure, for his part, is not opposed to leaving Vicarage Road this summer, as RMC Sport believe he would like to embark on a new challenge after three years with the Hornets.
Watford moved to secure the 6ft central midfielder’s services last summer, though, with Doucoure penning a five-year, £70,000-a-week deal at Vicarage Road following extensive speculation suggesting a move away was on the cards.
It remains to be seen if Brands’ does return to the Hornets with a revised offer, but Blues fans reacting to our alleged interest have been questioning why Silva would target Doucoure; given we have signed Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Fabian Delph and Andre Gomes to permanent deals this summer.
Here’s how these fans reacted…
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