Abdoulaye Doucoure seals £8m Watford switch, before joining Granada CF on loan
31 July 2015 - Pre-Season Friendly - Watford v Sevilla - Watford manager, Quique Flores (C) with assistants, Dean Austin (L) and Alberto Giraldez (R) - Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.
Watford have confirmed the capture of France midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure on a four-and-a-half-year deal from Rennes for an undisclosed fee.
The Premier League side; who currently sit tenth in the standings after 23 fixtures, have signed the former France Under-21 international, although he won’t link up with the Hornets fully until the summer as he will join La Liga side Granada CF on a six-month loan deal.
The 23-year-old scored three goals in 20 appearances for Rennes this season.
Despite January interest from English top-flight rivals Leicester City and Newcastle United, Quique Sanchez Flores’ side managed to fend off any competition from fellow potential suitors to snap up Doucoure for a reported club-record fee of £8m.