Watford are on the verge of completing the signing of Newcastle United right-back Daryl Janmaat.
The Hornets have agreed a fee which is believed to be in the region of £7.5 million and the transfer is expected to go through in the coming days.
Proven on an international stage
Janmaat only joined the Championship side from the North East for£5 million from Feyenoord last summer.
That came after impressing in Louis Van Gaal’s Holland side, who reached the semi-final stage of the World Cup in Brazil that summer. That run in the side is part of his 27 international caps to date.
The Dutchman made 77 first-team appearances on Tyneside with the last of those coming in the 2-1 home league reverse to Huddersfield Town two weeks ago.
Perfect for the system
Walter Mazzarri is keen on the signing of Janmaat because he is very comfortable with slotting in at right wing-back, in the Italian head coach's preferred 3-5-2 system.
On, Newcastle’s part they have agreed to allow Janmaat to move on to Vicarage Road because they feel the price is right. Rafael Benitez has already identified Tottenham full-back DeAndre Yedlin as a potential replacement on a season-long loan deal.
This will add to the signings of Grant Hanley, Ciaran Clark and Jesus Gamez that Benitez has also brought in to strengthen the Magpies' defence.
Healthy competition for places
The pending arrival of Janmaat has already raised questions about the future role at Watford of fellow new recruit Brice Dja Djédjé. The right-back, who arrived from Marseille earlier in the transfer window for £3million, is yet to make his debut for the club due to a long-standing foot injury.
Perhaps this is clever thinking from Mazzarri because the presence of two quality international right-backs at Vicarage Road is bound to provide a healthy competition for places once the Senegalese is fit.