Watford close to £8m move for ‘next Gerrard’

Will Hughes is finally on the verge of a Premier League move – five years after he was linked extensively with a move to Liverpool as the long-term replacement for Steven Gerard.

The Derby midfielder – currently in Poland with the England Under-21 squad – has long been linked with a move to a Premier League club, after breaking into the Derby first team at the age of 16.

New Watford manager Marco Silva has targeted Hughes, who will cost an initial £8m that could rise to £10m with add-ons.

Hughes has played 187 senior games for the Rams.

The Watford Observer have described rumours of a move for Hughes as ‘broadly accurate’, adding: ‘Sources close to Derby have told us the Rams are trying to offload players this summer to raise funds to bring in new additions to the squad, with Hughes being one of the players who would command a considerable fee.’