Watford are now planning on keeping Ismaila Sarr at the club following the breakdown of his move to Aston Villa, and are even putting the wheels in motion to offer the Senegal international an extended contract, according to The Mirror.

It appeared as though the 24-year-old would be departing Vicarage Road following an accepted offer from Villa over the weekend, with the forward expected to travel up to the Midlands to complete a medical with Steven Gerrard's side.

Since then though, the proposed transfer has collapsed, with Hornets reporter Andrew French claiming that Villa boss Gerrard did a u-turn himself on the deal and decided he did not want to bring Sarr to his club anymore.

Crystal Palace and Leeds United remain interested in Sarr, according to French-based reporter Abdellah Boulma, but if The Mirror are to be believed, then the Hornets hierarchy will be rebuffing all offers between now and the end of the transfer window.

Per The Mirror, Sarr has made it clear to the Watford board that he would be happy to still be at Vicarage Road when the window closes, and in the coming months there could be a new contract tabled for the wide layer, whose current deal expires in the summer of 2024.

The Verdict

It would be the mother of all u-turns if Sarr was to end up signing a new contract at Watford.

To be fair to the forward though, he hasn't exactly made noises about departing the club this summer and the last time Watford were in the Championship he stuck around to help them to promotion after an impressive debut Premier League campaign.

It's now perfectly feasible to think that he could stay in Hertfordshire beyond the September 1 date, and it will make things even easier for Watford if no other bids come in for his services between now and then.

Sarr may not exactly fit into Rob Edwards' 3-5-2 system due to being a winger, but there's definitely the case for him being a very effective striker in the second tier, and the club as a whole will definitely be stronger for him staying.