This is what Watford director tells 20-yr-old star amid interest from Everton and Barcelona
Watford sporting director Gianluca Nani has told Yáser Asprilla to focus on the task at hand amid interest from multiple clubs, including Everton.
The 20-year-old has been in strong form this season in the Championship, netting six times and providing seven assists for his teammates but Watford have underwhelmed overall, as they sit 15th in the table with three games to go.
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Hide AdThat could be a reason why the Colombian international - who has two goals in four caps - is potentially hoping for a move away. Interest from Everton came late in the January window as they reportedly had a bid rejected which didn’t meet Watford’s standards but the report claimed they would consider offers in the upcoming summer window. While Barcelona have also been credited with an interest.
With two years left on his current deal, the club has some bargaining power over the youngster’s future and the Watford director has responded to questions about interest in Asprilla, as he told TuttoMercatoWeb: "In the meantime, I want to see him on the pitch with us as focused as ever. The summer is long and he is certainly a monitored player. But today the boy just has to think about playing with us, as he is doing, like so many others.”
He joined from Envigado in 2021 and has gone on to make 83 appearances for the club. Interestingly, his heatmap has seen him feature mostly off the right wing but is listed as an attacking midfielder. There is certainly potential there but his figures can certainly be improved. He averages 1.7 shots per game, a 56% dribble success rate, a 78% pass success rate, 1.5 key passes per game and 3.5 recoveries per game. However, the quality of two recent strikes against Norwich City and Rotherham United show he does have terrific ability.
With Jack Harrison and Arnaut Danjuma set to leave this summer after their loans and the potential of Andre Gomes, Dele Alli, Seamus Coleman leaving on a free - as well as potential sales of Amadou Onana and Jarrad Branthwaite - the club could be seeking players like Asprilla to rejuvenate their squad after a difficult three years battling relegation.
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