Watford are keen on securing the services of Getafe goalkeeper Vicente Guaita in January. According to a reliable source in the English press, the Hornets have moved ahead of Crystal Palace in pursuit of the La Liga goalkeeper. The 30-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the season and his club Getafe is keen to get a fee for his services which is believed to be in the region of £3.5m before he moves on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Various reports of late have already claimed that the Eagles were in negotiations with Getafe for the player but now, it appears that Marco Silva’s Watford has moved ahead of their rivals in the race for Guaita’s signature.
The 30-year-old goalkeeper was left out of the Getafe squad that suffered a 2-0 away defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid on Saturday. It is also being reported that the Turkish giants Besiktas are also interested in acquiring the player who has conceded just 18 goals in 18 La Liga matches this season.
Guaita came through the youth ranks at Valencia before breaking into their senior team. He made a total of 132 appearances for Valencia before moving to Getafe in the summer of 2014.
Guaita has featured in 97 matches for Getafe and can boast 22 clean sheets during that time. He is one of the key reasons why Getafe are not in any real danger of relegation this season and are currently sitting in 11th place in the La Liga table, a massive 9 points clear of the relegation zone. Watford, on the other hand, has struggled of late and are in danger of getting dragged into the relegation dogfight having suffered six defeats in their last seven league games.
Marco Silva is in dire need of reinforcements in this January transfer window and a potential swoop for the Getafe goalkeeper might be on the cards this month. The Hornets goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes has been far from consistent this season and the Watford boss Marco Silva might opt to replace him or provide him with more competition in a bid to get the best out of his goalkeeper and Guaita seems to be the ideal candidate for that role. With his contract running out at the end of the season, Watford can capitalize on the situation by getting him on the cheap.
It remains to be seen whether they are successful in their attempts to fend off competition from Crystal Palace in pursuit of the veteran La Liga keeper.
