Watford close in on Hughes

Watford are closing in on an £8m deal for Derby County midfielder Will Hughes, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Manager Marco Silva is preparing for his first season in charge of the Hornets, and is keen to give Hughes a chance to play in the top flight with the transfer expected to be concluded in the coming days.

The twenty-two year old had previously been linked with a move to Liverpool while Arsenal had also been monitoring his progress during his six years with the East Midlands outfit.

Hughes, whose current deal expires at the end of the forthcoming campaign made forty-two appearances for the Rams in all competitions last season, scoring two goals.

In total, he has played one hundred and eighty-seven times since breaking into Derby’s first team while internationally he has been capped seventeen times for England’s U21s, scoring twice while he also played for the U17s.