Watford have agreed to sell Colombian forward Cucho Hernandez to Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit Columbus Crew, with a deal set to be finalised shortly.

As per The Athletic's Adam Leventhal yesterday afternoon, negotiations were taking place yesterday over the final terms and structure of a move that would see Hernandez head stateside permanently.

Then, the Watford Observer revealed that the fee involved is likely to be around the $10.5 million dollar mark. This translates to just over £8.5 million pounds when using Google's currency converter.

Reports first emerged that Hernandez's future may not lie at Vicarage Road when Colombian journalist Pipe Sierra said reported that several clubs were interested in the 23-year-old, and that he was open to a transfer this summer.

This has now been backed up by Adam Leventhal, who reported yesterday that the Colombian's representatives had made it clear to the club that they were exploring their options this summer following Watford's relegation.

 

 

Cucho Hernandez featured 25 times for Watford in the Premier League in 2021/22, scoring five goals and registering two assists.

The vast majority of these performances were from the bench, rather than the starting line up.

Just as Hernandez broke into the first XI regularly towards the back end of the campaign, he picked up an injury that would rule him out for the remainder of the season.

The Verdict

This certainly comes as a surprise.

You feel that Hernandez was a player that could have lit the Championship up next season, so whilst the likes of Dennis and Sarr are expected to go, most Watford fans hoped Hernandez would stay.

However, if he did want to leave as has been reported, this is not a bad deal for Watford at all.

It is a decent fee for a wantaway player, but, the club must now re-invest that into their playing squad.

If Sarr and Dennis follow Cucho Hernandez out of the Vicarage Road exit door, which they will almost certainly do this summer, at present, Watford would be left with just one senior forward - 20-year-old Joao Pedro.