Wanting an extra winger in January, you might recall Milan made some late attempts to sign Watford’s Gerard Deulofeu.
The Spaniard knows the club well, having spent six months there on loan during his time at Everton, where he enjoyed himself and quickly became a fan favourite.
These performances led to Leonardo thinking about him to bolster his club’s attack in January, but the Brazilian director of football was faced with a resolute Hornets board who refused to let their star leave the club midway through the season.
This was confirmed by the player’s agent, who explained exactly what happened over those few days in an interview with Calciomercato, making it clear Watford simply did not ‘want to sell important players in January’, leading to the talks being cut short.
Despite revealing his client followed Milan’s progress with ‘a lot of affection’ and stated Deulofeu saw Milan as ‘his home’, Alberto Botines also emphasised how happy the forward was at Vicarage Road.
He said: “They welcomed him, he needed a club where he could play every minute, to be a main protagonist. He’s found a home at Watford, the team are doing well, they’re well placed. We’ll have to see what happens next summer.
“He just wants to show, once again, that he is a high level player and can be an ‘important transfer’ for the club. Of course, he could go in an even bigger and more important club compared to Watford. He’s very focused on the present, to complete their goals, score goals and provide assists for his teammates”.
That’s a rather open admission, but, then again, if someone comes knocking with the right amount of money in the summer, it might be too good to turn down.
It also remains to be seen if Milan have that kind of cash lying around, with plans to make Tiemoué Bakayoko’s loan permanent alongside other potential deals.
Also, how many ‘homes’ does the Watford forward have? Is Barcelona one too? These are the important questions.
Deulofeu has scored three goals and provided three assists this season in 19 Premier League appearances.
