Watford have joined the race to sign the promising centre-forward Saikou Janneh this summer, according to reports...

What's the word?

That's the word from The Sun, who claim that the Premier League new boys, Watford and Norwich City, are both plotting a move for the Bristol City striker, as each side look to put together a squad capable of surviving in the top flight next season.

It is also reported that Brighton & Hove Albion are keen on a move for the 21-year-old, who has two seasons remaining on his contract at the Championship side.

Meanwhile, in Europe, Hertha Berlin and Bayer Leverkusen are thought to be keeping tabs on the striker, opening up the possibility of something of a bidding war for the youngster's services in the upcoming transfer window.

However, the Bristol City manager, Nigel Pearson, is believed to be desperate to retain the services of Janneh, as the 57-year-old feels the Gambian striker has a big future at Ashton Gate.

Signs of promise

Despite the fact that Janneh has made just three first-team appearances for Bristol City, the 21-year-old has shown huge signs of promise during a loan spell at Torquay United, where he bagged 16 goals in 28 appearances for the National League side, while the Newport County boss, Michael Flynn, claimed that Janneh is a "fantastic lad" and a "great character" while the striker was on loan at his side earlier this season.

And, should Watford go on to land the centre-forward this summer, while he may not be a Premier League ready forward just yet, Janneh would represent a fantastic piece of transfer business for the future of the club, as well as potentially offering Xisco Munoz an option as an impact substitute from the bench.

Furthermore, with Ismaila Sarr likely to attract interest once again this summer - with the 23-year-old having highly impressed in the Championship, scoring 13 goals and providing four assists over his 39 appearances in the second tier - the signing of Janneh could also be seen as a move to land a long term replacement for the £18 million-rated Watford star.

As such, all in all, while the reports do not mention how much a potential deal for the Bristol City youngster would set the Hornets back, the 21-year-old's signing would be an astute and intelligent addition to Xisco's squad ahead of his side's Premier League campaign. If they can beat all of those clubs to pull off this blockbuster signing, Hornets' supporters should be very happy indeed.