Bristol City and Watford in transfer battle for top-flight striker | OneFootball

Bristol City and Watford are interested in Athletico Paranaense striker Kevin Viveros

Bristol City and Watford are putting plans in place for the summer transfer window, even though both Championship clubs are currently managerless.

The Robins are searching for their next permanent boss following the conclusion of Roy Hodgson's interim spell, while the Hornets sacked Ed Still earlier this month.

Hodgson ultimately steered the West Country outfit to a top-half finish in the Championship, courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Stoke City on the final day of the season.

In contrast, Watford finished just 16th in the second tier, with Still ending his stint in charge of the Vicarage Road club with five consecutive defeats.

Bristol City and Watford eyeing transfer swoops for Brazilian Serie A striker

While both Bristol City and the Hornets remain managerless, another similarity between the two clubs is that they lacked firepower in the Championship this term.

The Robins' top scorer in the second tier this season was Scott Twine, who scored 11 league goals, while out-and-out striker Emil Riss Jakobsen notched just nine.

Similarly, Watford's highest goalscorer in the 2025/26 Championship campaign was Luva Kjerrumgaard, with nine.

Kjerrumgaard's most recent goal came against the Robins on 27 February, and his goal drought in recent months was a contributing factor in the Hornets' poor end to the season.

Meanwhile, according to Brazilian outlet RTI Esporte, Watford and Bristol City are both interested in Athletico Paranaense striker Kevin Viveros.

Paranaense currently sit fifth in the Brazilian top flight, having played 15 games, while Viveros has scored eight goals and produced one assist in 14 league appearances.

The 26-year-old impressed when he scored a brace in a 3-1 win over Vitoria at Estadio Mario Celso Petraglia on 26 April.

Viveros helped Paranaense win promotion last term, notching nine goals and two assists in 21 Serie B appearances, while the current season marks his second campaign with the Curitiba-based club.

The Colombian has previously played in his home nation for the likes of America de Cali and Atletico Nacional, and he represented Venezuelan club Carabobo in the 2022 season, in which he produced a career-best return of 21 goals in 34 appearances.

Viveros even has experience in the European game, making one appearance for Bosnian outfit FK Sarajevo in their 2023/24 Conference League campaign.

Kevin Viveros swoop could go either way for Watford or Bristol City

Viveros has scored 19 goals in a total of 42 appearances for Paranaense in both Serie A and Serie B, which is nothing to be sniffed at.

The Colombian has also produced strong numbers over the years in other South American competitions, earning his move to Brazil in 2025.

However, adjusting to the Championship could prove a tough task for Viveros if he completes a move to either Watford or Bristol City ahead of the 2026/27 second-tier season.

There is a chance that either the Hornets or the Robins could unearth a gem who was previously unknown in the English game, but he may also fail to produce the goods.

The Vicarage Road club have never qualified for the Championship play-offs since being relegated from the Premier League in 2022, whereas the Ashton Gate outfit finished sixth in 2025, and would love to achieve a similar feat next season.