Watford interested in Serie A striker | OneFootball

Watford are interested in signing Sassuolo striker Gregoire Defrel in the January transfer window.

That's according to a report form Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, via Sport Witness, who say that a number of Serie A clubs are also interested in the 32-year-old.

Defrel not a first time target for Watford

Back in 2018, shortly after Defrel had ended his first spell with Sassuolo, it was reported that Watford had made a €23million bid to sign the striker from Roma.

Ultimately though, no deal to bring the Frenchman to Vicarage Road would materialise at that time.

Instead, after a loan spell with Sampdoria, striker would return to Sassuolo - initially on loan - in 2019, in a move that was made permanent the following year.

In total, Defrel has now made 197 appearances in all competitions across his multiple spells with Sassuolo, scoring 33 goals in that time.

However, with the January transfer window now open, it seems the 32-year-old may soon be on the move again.

Watford again linked with Defrel

According to this latest update, Defrel could be set to leave Sassuolo this month, having struggled for game time during the current campaign.

It is thought that Watford are now among the clubs who are interested in a potential move for the striker.

Indeed, it is suggested this could become something of a long range swap deal, with Udinese - who like Watford are owned by the Pozzo family - potentially set to sell former Hornets defender Adam Masina to Sassuolo.

However, Watford are not the only club keen on a deal for Defrel. It is claimed that Sassuolo's Serie A rivals Cagliari, Empoli and Salernitana have all also made requests to sign the centre forward.

As things stand, there are just six months remaining on Defrel's contract with Sassuolo, meaning the January market could be their last chance to cash in on the striker.

Watford in Championship play-off race

Watford will no doubt want to strengthen in the January transfer window, in order to boost their chances of claiming a play-off place this season.

The Hornets currently sit tenth in the Championship table, four points adrift of the top six spots as things stand.

Valerien Ismael's side are next in action on Sunday afternoon, when they travel to Loftus Road to face QPR in front of the Sky Sports cameras.

Defrel could be a risky target for Watford

Despite their position in the Championship table, Watford's centre forward options have found things tough going at times this season.

As a result, you can understand why the Hornets may be keen to add to their options in attack, although it may be something of a gamble to rely on Defrel to fill that role.

The Frenchman is yet to score in 11 appearances for Sassuolo this season, so he is not exactly in form right now, while at 32-year-old, he is seemingly approaching the latter stages of his career, and therefore unlikly to be a long-term option at Vicarage Road.

With that in mind, you do wonder whether there may be more suitable options for Watford to target to add to their attacking firepower for the rest of the season, before the market closes at the end of the month.