Watford are closing in on Nestory Irankunda’s departure. Currently, negotiations with Sporting are now focused on the final details of a deal that appears to be heading towards the finish line.
The Portuguese club have spent the past few days pushing to complete an agreement for the Australia international. The latest reports suggest the overall package is no longer the sticking point.
According to Record, Sporting’s proposal of €15m (£13m) plus up to €5m (£4.3m) in bonuses has effectively been accepted. Now, the remaining discussions will be centred on how those performance-related bonuses will be triggered.
Also, Record maintains Sporting’s fixed fee stands at €15m (£13m). But A Bola suggests the guaranteed amount is slightly lower, with bonuses taking the overall package close to that figure.
Either way, both newspapers agree the remaining discussions concern the structure of the add-ons rather than the overall value of the transfer.
Final details being ironed out
Record says Sporting already have a full agreement with Irankunda. He is set to sign a five-year contract containing an €80m (£69.2m) release clause.
The newspaper adds that the 20-year-old has already shifted his focus towards the move. It also claims he has begun familiarising himself with Sporting. He is learning more about the club and even making calls to better understand the environment he could soon be joining.
There are also signs the winger is preparing for life after Watford. Record reports Irankunda has removed references to the Championship club from his social media profiles.
Matter of time
The same feeling is reflected across the Portuguese press. O Jogo, Jornal de Notícias and Correio da Manhã all report that Sporting are confident of completing the deal over the coming days. The only remaining work is centred on finalising the agreement between the clubs.
For Watford, the biggest hurdle now appears to have been cleared. Instead of negotiating the size of the transfer, the discussions have moved on to the finer details of the bonus package, suggesting Irankunda’s move to Lisbon is now a question of when, rather than if.
