Watford in picture to sign 20-year-old – Hornets in tussle for €2.25m-rated player

Watford are among the clubs in the picture to sign Sint-Truidense’s Matte Smets in the summer window, according to Het Belang van Limburg.

The 20-year-old made his first team debut in 2022, but he started to feature regularly in the recently concluded season, making 42 appearances.

HBVL bring Watford’s interest in the defender into the mix when discussing KRC Genk’s transfer plans for the summer window.

The Jupiler Pro League side have identified the centre-back as a target to bolster their defence. They are one of the three ‘competitors’ battling it out to acquire his signature.

Genk will try to sign him, but they would have to be wary of the competition from England and France, where Watford and Stade de Reims are his main interested parties.

That’s all the report has to say about both the Championship side and the French club’s interest, and there’s also no mention of the Belgium U21 international’s preference.

HBVL say Smets has a release clause of €2.25m in a deal that lasts until 2026, and the fee would certainly be affordable for Watford.