The Austrian defender is said to be interesting a quartet of Premier League clubs, with the Hornets looking to beat their rivals to the 23-year-old.
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo in action with Austria’s Martin Hinteregger
Watford are interested in recruiting Austrian international Martin Hinteregger from Red Bull Salzburg, according to Sky Sports.
The powerful centre back has long been linked with a move to the Premier League, with West Ham, Sunderland, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Leicester City all being credited with an interest (via the Sunderland Echo and the Mail) in the 23-year-old at some point over the last couple of years, and Sky’s report suggests the Hornets are one of four currently looking at a player who was on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach last season.
Austria’s Martin Hinteregger in action with Hungary’s Adam Szalai
Hinteregger featured in the Bundesliga 10 times after joining Borussia in January, but has appeared for his country in their last seven matches, starting both games at the Euros and likely to be involved against Iceland on Wednesday.
If Watford do secure the signing of Hinteregger, who has 16 caps in total, he will become the second Austrian international to move to Vicarage Road, alongside fellow defender Sebastian Prodl. In fact, there are a number of Austria stars at the Premier League right now, as a result of the country’s improved form in recent years.
West Ham’s Diafra Sakho in action with Watford’s Sebastian Prodl
Austria captain Christian Fuchs helped Leicester to the title last season, Kevin Wimmer is at Tottenham, while Marko Arnautovic enjoyed a superb season at Stoke.
New Hornets boss Walter Mazzari will be eager to tweak a Watford back four that for a large part of last season boasted one of the best defences in the league. Though the North London outfit slipped a little in that respect during their end of season dip in form, they were still comparable to top seven sides Liverpool and West Ham.
Picture Supplied by Action Images
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
