Watford are in pole position to land Celtic attacker Rocco Vata.
Anthony Joseph of Sky Sports reports that the Hornets and the attacking midfielder are in advanced negotiations.
The 19-year-old made 16 appearances for Celtic’s B squad the previous season and scored 13 goals.
After passing through the club’s system, he has made six appearances for the Scottish powerhouses in the first squad.
Watford in advanced talks to sign Rocco Vata from Celtic
Vata’s move to Vicarage Road is at an advanced stage.
The young player has been toured around Watford’s facilities and has been offered a four-year contract by the Hertfordshire-based team.
At one point, it was also claimed that Watford was interested in signing the young Ireland international, but Palermo of Italy is the team that seems most likely to close the deal.
In January, Celtic made the attacker an offer to sign a new deal through 2028, but it doesn’t seem like the player accepted.
Vata is out of contract, but because of his age, the Bhoys will still receive training compensation. Joseph says that amount will be £237,000.
Rocco Vata is an exciting potential signing for Watford
The Hoops made it obvious that they did not want to lose Vata—especially for a compensation figure—by offering him a new contract. Vata is a highly-regarded young player at Celtic.
Since he was seven years old, he has been a member of Celtic, as has his father Rudi, who was a player for the team.
In January, during a 5-0 victory over Buckie Thistle in the Fourth Round of the Scottish Cup, the 19-year-old scored his lone goal for the Celtic first team.
| Rocco Vata’s stats for Celtic B – As Per Transfermarkt | ||
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 34 | 23 | 1 |
Vata appears to be looking for a way out of Celtic Park and wants to play more frequently for the first team.
Although Vata’s ability will make it difficult to secure a spot in Watford’s starting eleven for the upcoming season, he will be hoping to push his way into Tom Cleverley’s plans in the preseason.
Watford should have cash this summer after selling Ismael Kone.
During the summer transfer season, the Hornets have not yet added a player, although Mamadou Doumbia, an 18-year-old Malian striker, has agreed to join the team in July after they agreed to a deal in February.
Vata will reportedly cost the team very little, but Watford should have a respectable summer budget in advance of the 2024–25 Championship campaign.
Ismael Kone, a midfield player, signed a contract worth up to £15 million to join Marseille after leaving Vicarage Road.
Watford also sold Ismaila Sarr, Joao Pedro, and Christian Kabesele last summer, only reinvesting a small portion of the proceeds into new players. Naturally, losses from not being a Premier League team must be considered, but Cleverley needs money to improve.
After Valerien Ismael was fired at the end of the previous season, Cleverley was appointed as Watford’s permanent head coach this summer.
The head coach of the Hornets hopes to strengthen his team this summer in order to improve on a dismal 15th place performance in the second division the following season.
Vata is an intriguing addition to Watford, particularly going forward, but if Cleverley wants the Hornets to contend at the top of the Championship the next season, he will need to add additional players.
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