Watford are reportedly keen on Liverpool’s Divock Origi.
According to The Mirror, Liverpool striker Divock Origi is a target for Watford – but they only want him on loan despite being available to purchase.
Origi, 23, joined Liverpool from Lille in the summer of 2014 after showing real promise for Belgium at the World Cup in Brazil, and was sent back to Lille for the next season, hitting nine goals in 44 outings.
The Belgian international has now made 77 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 21 times, but he was loaned out again for the whole of last season, heading to Wolfsburg where he found the net just six times in 34 games.
Origi’s future is now up in the air, with Liverpool seemingly ready to cash in for £26million – but The Mirror report that Watford don’t want to pay that fee, and want to take Origi on loan.
The Hornets are in the market for attacking reinforcements after selling Richarlison to Everton for around £40million, and they may end up shopping in Merseyside for his replacement in Origi.
Yet, there appears to be a problem. Origi’s contract expires next summer, and there seems to be little to no chance of Liverpool allowing him to go out on loan for his final year with the club, risking losing him for nothing next summer.
Liverpool would therefore either need to extend Origi’s deal by a year and hope that he can drum up interest by impressing on loan at Watford, or tell the Hornets that a loan deal is completely off the table due to his contract situation.
The Reds seemingly don’t want Origi, and handing him a new deal may not be a step they want to take, but in order to get him off the books, they may need to take a gamble and facilitate a loan move to Vicarage Road.
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