Watford have completed the signing of Abdoulaye Doucoure, and immediately sent him out on loan to Granada for the remainder of the season.
The Hornets have had a long admired the midfield player, and it is thought they initially planned to sign him in the summer. However, it became apparent the 23-year-old was attracting interest from elsewhere, so the Premier League club have paid a potential club record of £8million to sign him from Rennes and loan him out to Spanish side Granada.
Vicarage Road chief executive Scott Duxbury confirmed on the January deadline day: “The opportunity to sign Abdoulaye Doucoure now was one we wanted to act upon, given our long-standing interest in the player. He is very much part of Watford’s future plans, and in the time between now and pre-season he’ll be experiencing high-level competitive football in Spain.”
Watford will pay an initial £6.1million for the former France under-21 international, although the fee could rise to £8million which would surpass the £6.1million record fee they paid Malaga for Nordin Amrabat earlier this month. Quique Sanchez Flores has now made four signings since the window opened, with Costel Pantilimon and Mario Suarez also joining the club.
