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Reports: Newcastle-linked Boubakary Soumare could end up at Watford

Boubakary Soumare of Lille during the French League 1 match between Lille v Olympique Lyon at the Stade Pierre Mauroy on February 18, 2018 in Lill...
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Watford appear to be in the race for Lille’s Boubakary Soumare.

Lille's Boubakary Soumare during the Ligue 1 match between Lille and Toulouse at Stade Pierre Mauroy on December 22, 2018 in Lille, France.

According to Calciomercato, Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare could end up at Watford as the club attempt to strike an arrangement involving Udinese.

Soumare, 19, was in the youth ranks at Paris Saint-Germain before heading to Lille in 2017, and he has been compared to Yaya Toure in some quarters.

The teenager has only ever made three league starts for Lille, alongside 21 substitute appearances, but he was touted for a £35million move to Manchester City in January 2018, as noted by Sky Sports.

Now, with no Ligue 1 starts this season, Soumare is being linked away again, but this time with Premier League clubs a little lower down the table than City.

Calciomercato report that Soumare may end up at Watford, with owner Giampaolo Pozzo planning one of his special deals involving Udinese.

Watford signing Soumare and loaning him to Udinese would make sense given the relationship between the two clubs, and how Soumare could grow into a successor to Abdoulaye Doucoure in the Watford midfield.

Boubakary Soumare of Lille during the French League 1  match between Lille v Olympique Lyon at the Stade Pierre Mauroy on February 18, 2018 in Lille France

That may be a blow to Newcastle United, as Le10 Sport reported that the Magpies made a deadline day move for Soumare, but Lille rejected their approach.

Newcastle may well keep the teenager on their wish list for the summer, but Watford now involved too, it promises to be a real battle for his signature – though possibly some way short of the £35million touted last year.

Caen's French midfielder Julien Feret (L) vies for the ball with Lille's Boubakary Soumare (R) during the French L1 football match between Caen (SMC) and Lille (LOSC) on January 13, 2018,...