Watford close in on Roma forward

 

Watford have stepped up their interest in Roma forward Juan Manuel Iturbe in a loan deal that could see them return Victor Ibarbo, according to Tuttomercatoweb.

 

Roma fended off competition to sign Iturbe for around £16m last year, but the ex-Paraguay international has struggled to nail down a regular first team birth and now looks set to find regular minutes elsewhere for the second half of the season.

 

The Hornets have made a spectacular start to life in the Premier League this season and their 1-0 win away to Sunderland moved them to within four points of the top four.

 

However, Quique Sanchez Flores is aware of the need to strengthen his frontline to ease the pressure on Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo and has seemingly earmarked Iturbe as the man to help them, with a deal thought to be near completion, according to Sky Sports.

 

Watford close in on Roma forward

 

Of Roma players to have featured in at least 10 matches this season, only Mo Salah (39.4 mins) and Gervinho (41 mins) have required fewer minutes per successful dribble than Iturbe (44.3 mins) in Serie A.

 

For more stats on Juan Iturbe, click here to visit his WhoScored player page