Despite announcing the arrival of Pape Gueye on a free from Le Havre, Watford are facing some reticence from the player ahead of his arrival.
We’ve covered a number of articles on the matter since the problems started to appear, which are namely the fact he has changed agents and is having second thoughts about moving to the Premier League club.
Money is at the root of the issue, as his entourage felt he could have got more money elsewhere, and his new lawyer is now looking for a way to cancel the deal with Watford.
L’Equipe have been on top of the situation since day one, and they’ve released some new information that could help Gueye potentially get what he wants.
According to the French newspaper, ‘anomalies allegedly exist in the process that led to the recruiting of the former France U19 international’.
It’s explained that since he was coming to the end of his deal with Le Havre, Gueye was able to speak to Watford, and the Hornets had the right to do so directly with him, without going through the Ligue 2 side first.
Then, come January 1st, he would be able to sign a pre-agreement, which he did within the timeframe.
However, it’s when it comes to the medical that things get a bit murky, as L’Equipe report a source close to the deal told them he actually had it ahead of his move to Watford in June 2019.
They continue by stating the midfielder travelled to Udine in Italy to have his tests in a clinic there, accompanied by his former agent Bakari Sanogo.
The problem lies in the fact the bills for both the medical centre and the hotel room were paid by Udinese, who are also owned by the Pozzo family, and not Watford.
L’Equipe tried to contact all involved, but both Le Havre and the Hornets refused to comment.
Down the player’s end, it’s revealed Gueye wants to ‘break his contract’ with his future employer, and would be prepared to take the case in front of FIFA to do so, but he would need ‘irrefutable evidence’ about Watford’s alleged actions to get his wish.
The only certainty in all of this, L’Equipe point out, is that everything needs to be sorted by July 1st, which is when his new deal with the Premier League club starts.
