The Hornets have been linked to Armando Broja as he seeks Chelsea exit
The Hornets are apparently trailing AS Monaco in the race to recruit the Albanian international, as the Ligue 1 team has already contacted Chelsea about a possible move. However, the French publication L’Equipe has credited the Hornets with an odd interest in the player.
The Blues forward may quit his fifteen-year relationship with his boyhood club this summer. He has spent time on loan at Vitesse, Southampton, and Fulham in recent years.
He battled for a spot in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad at the start of the previous campaign, but he only managed two goals in 19 games before joining Fulham on loan in January and making little impression for Marco Silva’s club.
The BBC reports that Fulham is not interested in turning Broja’s loan agreement into a permanent one for the 2024–2025 season, but Monaco, AC Milan, and Wolves are keen.
Watford is ‘attentive to Broja’s situation,’ according to L’Equipe, but Monaco is leading the race. Any deal involving the 22-year-old is probably going to include bonuses and a sell-on money.
The Blues’ alleged January valuation of Broja, which was £50 million, may drop to between £25 and £30 million before the summer transfer window, according to the BBC. However, that is still a significant amount of money that Watford would likely be unwilling to spend, so it seems unlikely that Broja would be acquired unless he is loaned to the Hornets.
Even if a transfer to a second-tier team that chases the playoffs under the direction of an enthusiastic, youthful manager may seem unlikely at first, it might be just what Broja needs to fully launch his career.
His two most successful senior seasons to date have been at Vitesse in 2020–21 (scoring 11 goals in 34 games across all competitions) and Southampton in 2021/22 (scoring nine goals in 38 games across all competitions). These are respectable returns for a young player, but his consistent scoring at the youth level has not yet translated into the men’s game, which may be due to Chelsea’s attempt to accelerate his development rather than paying a hefty transfer fee to bring one in.
He might have the opportunity to play frequently at a high-level competitive club near his home with the goal of improving on a 15th-place result in 2023–24 at Watford.
It is debatable if the Hornets truly have the funds to sign him. Since Imran Louza joined from FC Nantes in 2021, they have not paid more than £10 million for a player, therefore it would be surprising if they were to provide the necessary funds to sign Broja.
In any case, Watford might be a fantastic place for him to get back on his feet and demonstrate why he is so well-liked around Europe if he does not want to go permanently from his native nation.
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