West Bromwich Albion are looking to secure the services of Fenerbahce midfielder Josef De Souza next summer. According to recent reports, the Baggies are interested in making a swoop for the Brazilian’s signature when the summer transfer window opens at the end of the season.
However, the West Midlands outfit could face stiff competition from Watford, who are also keen on recruiting the 29-year-old in the off-season. Some sources are claiming that the Hornets had an offer in the region of €12m declined by the Super Lig club, who values De Souza at €16m.
The Brazilian signed for the Yellow Canaries in the summer of 2015 from Sao Paulo and has just missed one league game for Fenerbahce this season. He has featured in 31 matches for Aykut Kocaman’s side this term, scoring two goals while making two assists in all competitions. De Souza has caught the eye with some solid displays in Turkey during the course of this campaign which has alerted the Baggies ahead of the summer transfer period.
His contract is set to expire at the end of next season so it will be the Turkish club’s last chance to cash in on the player this summer. Only time will tell whether Alan Pardew’s team are successful in luring him to the Hawthorns this summer.
The Baggies are currently struggling in the Premier League and find themselves rock bottom of the league in 20th place with just 7 league games remaining in this campaign. Alan Pardew’s men are in dire need of some positive results in the coming weeks after another dismal showing away at Bournemouth last weekend in a game, which they narrowly lost by a 2-1 scoreline.
It seems highly likely that West Brom will get relegated this season and the club might appoint a new manager this summer, who can help them bounce back to the top tier immediately next season. Hence, it will be a tough ask for them to rival Watford and win the race to sign De Souza this summer. However, it will be a massive coup if they can pull it off as the Brazilian will undoubtedly bolster their squad and help them in their quest to earn a promotion back to the top-flight next term.
De Souza is highly versatile and can play in a number of different positions across the pitch. He primarily operates as a defensive midfielder but can also be deployed in a more advanced role in midfield or as a right-back which makes him a perfect fit for any of his potential suitors. It remains to be seen what lies ahead in the future of De Souza and whether he ends up making a switch to English football in the near future.
