Watford FC closing in on deal to sign 27-year-old | OneFootball

The deal between the two Pozzo-owned clubs is nearing conclusion

Watford are closing in on a deal for Udinese goalkeeper Egil Selvik.

The Norway international only signed for the Serie A club last week, from Norwegian outfit Haugesund, but could soon be off again, according to Italian outlet TUTTOmercatoWEB.

Both Watford and Udinese are owned by the Pozzo family, so negotiations between the two clubs could be smooth.

However, one sticking point on the player’s side is yet to be resolved.

Watford set to boost goalkeeping ranks

The Italian news site have revealed that Watford are “closing” in on the arrival of Selvik, who was only announced as a Udinese player on 10 January.

Given the quick turnaround, this will presumably take the form of a loan deal to ensure the 27-year-old continues playing first-team football for the remainder of the season, but this point is not confirmed in the report.

According to reports elsewhere, from Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Selvik is a “concrete possibility” for Watford, but the player himself is yet to agree to the move.

Given the two clubs share common ownership, it seems likely a deal will be easy to strike once Selvik himself is on board.

The Hornets are in need of a goalkeeper

A short-term deal would work wonders for Watford, given that their first-choice goalkeeper, Daniel Bachmann, is set to be out for a few months with an ankle ligament injury.

The goalkeeper later had surgery to fix the injury, with recovery time projected to be around 10-12 weeks.

Speaking on that decision, boss Tom Cleverley said: "We all feel like it is an injury that is high risk of reoccurring, so we decided to fix it straight away."

Back-up gloveman Jonathan Bond has filled the gap in the interim but, given that the 31-year-old’s last league action before that was for MLS side LA Galaxy in 2023, it wouldn’t be a shock for the Hornets to favour a short-term replacement like Selvik.

Selvik may be a risk but should keep costs down

It appears Selvik is being viewed as the replacement for Bachmann while he’s out injured, but the new Udinese man doesn’t come with hefty guarantees himself.

He has never played domestic football outside of Norway, but has racked up 187 senior appearances for a range of Norwegian clubs, 118 of those outings coming in the Eliteserien — the country’s top division.

He also has national experience, having picked up four caps for Norway since his full international debut in 2023, appearing alongside the likes of Erling Haaland and Sander Berge as recently as November.

It will give Hornets fans some faith that the Serie A side have clearly seen something in Selvik, but there is always an element of risk when a player is arriving in England for the first time regarding whether they’ll settle in and hit their top form.

Plenty of players have flowed between the two clubs in recent years given their shared ownership, some good and some less so, meaning many may reserve judgment until he takes to the pitch.

If the two sister clubs manage to get this deal over the line, it could come just in time given Watford’s goalkeeper struggles, but those at Vicarage Road will be hoping he can adjust quickly to new surroundings.