Watford FC have agreed a deal to sign striker Iker Bravo from Serie A club Udinese Calcio, the Championship side confirmed on Tuesday. The Spaniard has signed a contract with the Hornets that will run until the summer of 2029.
The transfer fee is reported to be just under €4 million, paid initially to Udinese, according to Kicker. However, Bayer Leverkusen will also receive a significant portion of the fee due to a sell-on clause agreed upon when Bravo initially moved to Italy.
Bravo joined Udinese in 2022 from Leverkusen, with the German club receiving a €600,000 transfer fee at the time. Crucially, Leverkusen negotiated a 50 percent sell-on clause as part of that agreement. This means the Bundesliga side will receive approximately €1.9 million from Bravo’s transfer to Watford.
Iker Bravo originally came through the youth ranks at León in Spain before joining Leverkusen’s youth setup in 2021. He made a handful of appearances for Leverkusen’s first team before moving to Udinese in search of more regular playing time. At Udinese, Bravo has struggled to establish himself as a consistent starter, making 26 appearances across all competitions, scoring 3 goals.
Watford will be hoping Bravo can provide a goalscoring threat as they push for promotion to the Premier League. The Hornets finished 11th in the Championship last season and will be looking to build a more competitive squad under head coach Valérien Ismaël. This deal represents a shrewd piece of business for all parties involved, with Watford gaining a promising young player and Leverkusen benefitting financially from a previous transfer.
