Watford have announced today the signing of Gerard Deulofeu from FC Barcelona for a fee of £15m. The Spaniard spent the second half of the 2017-18 season on loan with the Hornets.
The initial fee for Deulofeu is understood to be £11.5m along with £3.5m in add-ons that Barcelona will earn from the deal.
The speedy winger has signed a long-term deal of five years with Watford and looks set to be an important player for Javi Gracia's squad for the future.
Watford pleased to bring back Deulofeu
Deulofeu joined Watford on loan last season in January and made seven appearances for the club, scoring once. The Barcelona youth academy graduate has had two previous spells in the Premier League with Everton. Following his spell at Goodison, Deulofeu has joined Sevilla, gone to AC Milan, and once again returned to Barcelona. However, now with a five-year-deal, he looks well set to light up Vicarage Road with his talent.
Watford chief executive Scott Duxbury expressed his delight at Deulofeu's return and said,"We are very pleased to welcome Gerard back to Vicarage Road and thank FC Barcelona for their part in concluding this deal."
After a 14th place finish last season, Watford will look to improve and enter the top 10 of the league standings. Duxbury believes signing players like Deulofeu is one step towards realising the club's ambitions in the top-flight.
Duxbury further said,"Our ambition to succeed and grow in the Premier League remains as strong as ever".
Deulofeu's return is complemented by the return of several other players from their respective loan spells. Gracia has a tough task ahead of him this summer, however, snapping up quality players early in the window will help him integrate them into their system for the coming season.