According to French publication l'Équipe, Watford are making considerable strides in their bid to secure the services of Ismaïla Sarr from Stade Rennais and have 'multiplied' talks with the player and his agent to the extent that a potential contractual agreement has been settled.
The same outlet detailed back in June that the Hornets had tabled an offer of €30m but that this was inadequate to meet the demands of Rennes president Olivier Létang, while Sarr's participation with Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations has somewhat impeded negotiations.
"With Ismaïla, there is a type gentleman's agreement," Létang revealed at the unveiling of new signing Flavien Tait from Angers SCO, a potential replacement for Sarr. "But we need all the conditions to be right, and they are not at the moment.
"If at a level that we like something is offered to us, we will have the capacity to accept it."
However, with AFCON drawing to a close in the next week or so, Watford are confident that proceedings will now begin to make further progress and have even reportedly hired intermediaries with expertise in the French market to establish a deal for the forward.
The 21-year old appears keen on the move. L'Équipe also claim that Sarr, who has attracted interest from a number of other Premier League clubs including Arsenal and Newcastle United, has confided in his Senegal teammates his wishes to move to Vicarage Road.
As such, the final hurdle in the completion of the transfer may be to convince the player's current employers with a sufficient transfer fee, one which will likely surpass Watford's club record which remains at £18m from the acquisition of Andre Gray in 2017.
A sought-after prospect
Sarr is no stranger to interest in his name. He was on the shortlist at Newcastle and Leicester City before Watford joined the pursuit for his services, while Arsenal have considered him a viable option should they fail to complete the signing of Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace.
Sky Sports also reported last week that the forward was in advanced talks with AS Roma of Italy, however the Senegalese appears to have opted for Premier League football.
And it's no wonder he's caught the eye of a host of suitors. Arsenal fans need no reminding of his capabilities after Sarr capped off an impressive display against the Gunners with an emphatic header in the Europa League quarter-final first leg.
Despite his tender age, Sarr has been a mainstay in the first team at Rennes since signing from FC Metz in 2017 and struck a total of 13 goals in 50 appearances in all competitions for the Ligue 1 outfit last season, as well as providing a further 11 assists.
Where would Sarr fit in at Watford?
Prior to the summer transfer window, the priority for business from a Watford point of view was to acquire a centre-back. With Craig Dawson arriving in a £5.5m deal from Championship side West Bromwich Albion that target has been met, and attentions now turn to other areas of the pitch.
The Hornets are also apparently keen to bolster their options on either flank. Will Hughes and Roberto Pereyra performed well for large parts of last season but the latter in particular tailed off into a vein of poor form towards the end of the campaign, and a reduction in the pair's productivity revealed a lack of depth in their positions.
Young, talented, eager to join and already somewhat well-drilled in the tactical demands of a wide player in Javi Gracia's 4-4-2 system as a result of playing within a similar structure under Julien Stéphan, circumstances are aligning in such a way that Sarr looks to be the perfect choice to address this problem.