Earlier this month, we covered a report from Sport Bild, who claimed that Fortuna Dusseldorf held a secret meeting with Watford to discuss about the possibility of signing Dodi Lukebakio.
The 21-year-old is currently on a season-long loan deal with the Bundesliga outfit and has scored eight goals and registered three assists in the league, while he has four more goals to his name in the DFP Pokal.
According to Sport1 in Germany, Fortuna Dusseldorf are keen on retaining the winger and he is also open to the idea of continuing at the club beyond his temporary deal.
However, the two parties are waiting for an approval from the Premier League side for the transfer to take shape.
Having signed him on loan for €300,000 last summer, Lukebakio’s market price has ‘now increased’ and he is valued at €10m. That sounds unrealistic for Watford, with them surely wanting more.
The player himself has heaped praise on Fortuna Dusseldorf manager Friedhelm Funkel, claiming he is like a father figure to him and the German club’s coach has expressed his desire to retain him beyond this season.
“He is an important player for us, who I would like to keep,” Funkel said.
Sport1 mentions the attacker is not included in Javi Gracia’s plans at Vicarage Road, which may be a surprise, meaning only a transfer fee needs to be agreed between Watford and the German club for Lukebakio’s permanent transfer to Fortuna Dusseldorf to be completed.
