Bolton Wanderers set to sign top flight midfielder - European interest fended off | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers are set to sign Kilmarnock hotshot David Watson following their promotion to the Championship.

Bolton Wanderers will be playing Championship football next season for the first time since 2019, having ousted Stockport County 4-1 at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

Steven Schumacher's side ended a seven-year wait to get back into the second tier of English football in the sweltering heat of the capital on Sunday.

Having fallen to defeat to Oxford United two years prior, Bolton were keen to right the wrongs of their last trip to the national stadium, and did so in emphatic fashion.

Winter signing Ruben Rodrigues set Wanderers on their way after three minutes, before a Kyle Wootton own goal, a Sam Dalby stunner, and a Rodrigues penalty in stoppage time rendered Adama Sidibeh's first-half header meaningless.

The Lancashire side will now gear up for a survival bid in the Championship, and it seems Schumacher has already won the race for a highly sought-after player this summer.

Bolton Wanderers win race for Kilmarnock starlet David Watson

Just over 48 hours after sealing their return to the Championship, reports from the Daily Record have suggested that Bolton have already won the race for one of their summer transfer targets.

The man in question is Kilmarnock midfielder David Watson, who was a target for Wanderers in the winter, with the Scottish outfit turning down a six-figure bid from the then-League One club.

Despite this, patience has paid dividends for the Trotters, as they're reportedly set to sign the Scotland U21 international on freedom of contract.

Watson's deal at Killie expires on Sunday with offers on the table from Aberdeen, other Scottish Premiership outfits, Italy and England.

However, the Toughsheet Community Stadium looks set to be his next destination after Bolton secured promotion to the Championship, curtailing his seven-year stay at Rugby Park.

The cross-border move will reportedly limit the amount of compensation Killie will be due by Wanderers, which will be a disappointing blow to the Scottish side after they opted to retain him in January.

After making light work of Stockport at Wembley on Sunday, Bolton aren't messing around when it comes to recruiting players to help them maintain their Championship status next term, having already reportedly sorted a deal for Watson.

The addition of the 21-year-old could prove to be a shrewd piece of business from Schumacher and his recruitment team, as he had many options on the table after his contract at Kilmarnock expires.

Whilst Watson doesn't come with EFL experience, he has over 100 Killie appearances to boot, including five in qualifying rounds of European competitions, and 14 caps and counting for Scotland's U21 side.

The midfielder could become a hugely valuable asset for Wanderers, as he arrives with bags of potential that they'll be hoping he can unlock in Lancashire, and add a few more zeroes to his transfer value.

Picking up Watson at the end of his contract is also a smart move from Bolton, as the fee they'll be paying Kilmarnock is likely just a fraction of that six-figure fee they offered back in January.