Barcelona striker Rey Manaj is in London in order to hold talks with Watford over a potential transfer, it has emerged.

The 25-year-old was recently linked with a move to WD18 and it appears he is now closing in on an agreement with the Championship club.

That's according to Achraf Ben Ayad, who today tweeted that the Albanian international had flown into the capital this afternoon in order to seal the move.

This was then backed up by The Athletic's Adam Leventhal, who posted a picture of the player doing a 'thumbs up' pose in his piece in what was potentially an airport.

The Athletic piece above provided further detail on the update, with Manaj himself revealing that he is considering various options from other clubs, as well as Watford, with offers from La Liga and Serie A also said to be on the table.

Manaj spent 2021/22 on loan with Serie A side Spezia, scoring five goals in 30 Italian top-flight appearances.

The Verdict

This is certainly an interesting update.

Usually these sorts of things go under the radar slightly, but an agent posting on Twitter about the move and then the player discussing it with The Athletic is a twist.

One could speculate that it may be a negotiating tactic - to Watford and other potential clubs.

It would show other clubs he has serious potential to go elsewhere, meanwhile, his interview revelation about having offers from Serie A and La Liga puts pressure on Watford to, if they really want the player, make him a good offer.

Indeed, looking at his goalscoring record, it is not the most impressive, but having been on the books at Barcelona and Inter Milan previously, there must be talent there.