An update has emerged on Watford midfielder Will Hughes, regarding Fulham's interest in his services.
What's the talk?
According to The Mirror's Darren Witcoop, as relayed by Football League World, Fulham boss Maco Silva wants to bring Will Hughes to the club from Watford to bolster his squad this summer. The Englishman was promoted to the top-flight with the Hornets last season and now the Whites are hoping that he will return to the second tier.
Witcoop also claims that Slavisa Jokanovic wants to sign Fulham's Tom Cairney for Sheffield United, having managed him when he was in charge at Craven Cottage.
Cairney replacement
Tony Khan could land a dream Cairney replacement by bringing Hughes to the club this summer. The Fulham chief must ensure that he does everything in his power to tempt Hughes into returning to the Championship for another promotion push.
However, if Watford are preparing to make him a key player in their Premier League survival bid then he may not want to join Fulham as it would mean giving up regular minutes in the top-flight without any guarantee of ever getting the chance to get back there again. So, it remains to be seen how likely a transfer is at this stage, but Khan should work hard to pursue one regardless as there is no harm in trying.
Cairney is now in his 30's and only played 10 games in the Premier League last season, which suggests that the time could be right for him to part ways with the club. Whilst it may not be ideal to sell to a rival in the form of Sheff United, Fulham would not need to worry about what the competition are doing if they can seal a deal for Hughes as he could be a big upgrade on the Scotland midfielder.
Former Watford central defender Adrian Mariappa once lauded the Englishman, hailing him as “outstanding” for his performances at Vicarage Road.
"He's an outstanding player. To see the quality he's got, he has so much flair and a terrific player."
Hughes averaged an exceptional WhoScored rating of 7.19 in his 18 starts as a central midfielder for Watford in the Championship. Cairney, meanwhile, has not been able to average a score of 7.00 or higher since the 2017/18 campaign, highlighting his drop-off in form in recent seasons.
Therefore, the £30k-per-week beast arriving at the Cottage could be a major piece of business by the club and be the dream replacement for Cairney, which is why Khan must work hard to land him if there is any possibility of a deal being done.
AND in other news, Fulham dealt transfer blow over "quality" £6.3m-rated dynamo, Silva will be gutted...