Transfer news: Watford could attempt to keep Gerard Deulofeu

Gerard Deulofeu is currently on loan from Barcelona and playing at Vicarage Road. Watford could be trying to make him a permanent Hornet this summer.

Watford midfielder Gerard Deulofeu could be staying in England after a couple of loan spells from Barcelona. Rumors are starting to speculate that Watford is keen on keeping him permanently and actually have a deal in place.

Deulofeu was brought back by Barcelona this season after spending two years with Everton. He also had a loan spell at AC Milan before Barca bought him back. This year at Watford is the fourth time he has been on loan. Watford is the also the third different club Deulofeu has been on loan for.

Deulofeu has recently been in the news for his reaction to being left off Barcelona’s 2017-18 La Liga title-winning shirt. He posted a tweet yesterday moments after Barcelona clinched the La Liga title with a 4-2 win over Deportivo La Coruna.

It translates to “Champions of La Liga. It’s also mine no?” Technically, it is since he is just a loan player for Watford. This could be a cause for concern for Barcelona as this could be a reason Deulofeu wants to stay at Watford.

What this could mean for Barcelona

Deulofeu has been coined as the ‘next Messi’ by Barcelona fans. He joined the academy when he was nine years old and made his senior debut when he was 17. After the purchase of Phillipe Coutinho, getting game time would be a challenge for the 24-year-old Spaniard.

Another rumor that is circulating is the possibility of Coutinho going out on loan if Deulofeu is brought back to Camp Nou. It would make sense for Barcelona to want to groom Deulofeu to be Messi’s successor, but it would take all the money spent for Coutinho and put it down the drain.

Right now, all of this is pure speculation. It’s pretty fascinating to think that a player who was bought for over 100 million pounds could be sent out on loan and for someone who hasn’t played in two months.

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For Watford, the quality Deulofeu brings is needed for a full season, despite his injury concerns. Deulofeu has been plagued with injuries since he joined Watford. He has scored just once in the league with four games under his belt. We will wait to see how this all unfolds over the summer.