Watford make contact with 19-year-old’s entourage via text, Crystal Palace keen too

Clearly after a young left-back for their squad, probably as a back-up for Holebas, Watford are prioritising France for their new recruit.

After reported attempts to sign Lille’s Hamza Mendyl, only to see the Ligue 1 side reject their concrete offer for the 19-year-old, the Hornets have now moved onto Marseille’s Christopher Rocchia, who is also interesting Crystal Palace.

This is what FootMercato are reporting on Saturday afternoon, explaining the French side are currently in talks to make their young defender sign his first professional contract, hoping he doesn’t get too distracted from interest from abroad.

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According to the French website, Watford sent a text message to the youngster’s entourage last week in order to convince him to sign for them, while Crystal Palace have also ticked his name as a potential future recruit.

Watford’s text message would seem to put them in front of Frank de Boer’s Crystal Palace.

With ageing options in the position, Marseille and their manager Rudi Garcia are keen to introduce the 19-year-old to professional football bit by bit this season, hoping that will be enough to keep him beyond the summer.