Barcelona striker Rey Manaj is reportedly closing in on a switch to EFL Championship club Watford in the ongoing transfer window.
According to SPORT, forgotten Barcelona striker Rey Manaj is set to bring an end to his time in Catalonia as he closes in on a permanent transfer to English second division club Watford.
Manaj joined Barcelona in January 2020, arriving from Albacete and joining the club’s B team, where he spent 18 months, scoring 16 goals in 31 matches. The 25-year-old got a chance with the first-team setup during the pre-season last year and scored four goals, but was farmed out on loan to Italian club Spezia.
Manaj featured in 30 matches for the Serie A side, netting five goals and playing his part in helping the minnows avoid relegation. Now back at Barcelona, the Albanian international has no future at Camp Nou as the Catalans have Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as their main striker and are also planning to add Robert Lewandowski to their roster.
With Manaj’s contract expiring next year, a permanent exit is on the cards for the striker. A move to La Liga side Getafe looked like a strong possibility, but now the 25-year-old is on the verge of sealing a transfer to Watford.
The Hornets were relegated from the Premier League recently, and are back in the EFL Championship. With question marks over the future of Emmanuel Dennis, who is a target for Everton, they are in the market for new attackers, making Manaj a viable target.
As per the report from SPORT, Manaj is likely to join Watford on a free transfer, with Barcelona open to letting him leave for nothing while including a sell-on clause as part of the agreement with the Hertfordshire outfit.
The 25-year-old is one of many players Barcelona are looking to get rid of this summer. Clement Lenglet is on the verge of signing for Tottenham on loan, while Samuel Umtiti could return to France, with a transfer to Rennes on the horizon. Fringe players like Oscar Mingueza and Riqui Puig are also expected to be shown the doors, while high-profile stars such as Memphis Depay and Frenkie de Jong could also leave.
