Report: Wolves and Watford battling for £5m-rated defender Aurelio Buta

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Wolverhampton Wanderers and Watford are both interested in signing Aurelio Buta this January, according to The Daily Mail.

Royal Antwerp are bracing themselves for bids in the new year as the Premier League duo circle. Wolves and Watford could tempt Buta to England with a £5m offer.

Buta plays at right-back and has been in Belgium since summer 2017. He initially joined Antwerp on loan from Benfica before penning a permanent deal in summer 2018.

This season, Buta has played 14 times, scoring once and providing two assists. This takes the 5ft 8in defender’s total tally to 52 games for Antwerp. Prior to his move, he played 29 times for Benfica’s first-team, scoring twice and providing two assists.

Wolves and Watford could look at the 22-year-old as a long-term option at right-back. Both teams have watched Buta in action a lot this season. He is renowned for his attacking threat and crossing ability so this could tempt either club to make a £5m January offer.

TBR’s view

Wolves could do with one more wing-back to rotate with Matt Doherty, Jonny Castro Otto and Ruben Vinagre. Given Buta’s attacking threat, he could be an interesting wildcard option for them.

Watford, meanwhile, need some reinforcements in January to survive the drop. Daryl Janmaat is the first-choice right-wing-back while Craig Dawson and Dimitri Foulquier can also play there.