Barcelona striker Rey Manaj has Watford medical - report

Striker Rey Manaj has had a medical at Watford and is close to leaving Barcelona for the Championship side.

Manaj caught the eye at Barca last pre-season when he bagged a hat-trick in a friendly against Nastic.

However, he did not stay with the first-team squad and ended up spending last season in Italy on loan at Spezia where he scored five times in 30 appearances.

Manaj now looks set to depart again after undertaking a medical on Saturday ahead of a transfer to the Hornets, according to The Athletic.

The 25-year-old is into the final year of his contract and it’s previously been reported Watford won’t pay a fee but the deal will see Barca take a percentage of any future sale.

Watford are back in the Championship after being relegated last season. The team finished down in 19th place in the English top flight with just 23 points from 38 games.