Watford look set to improve their financial position further by netting £3m for Dan Shittu, who is expected to leave Vicarage Road within the next fortnight.
Glasgow Rangers are poised to make a bid of around £3m plus add-ons for the strapping Nigerian but the UEFA Cup runners-up could face stiff competition from Fulham.
Shittu, who is still recovering from the hamstring injury that saw him miss the last game of the season, is known to prefer a move to the Premiership but he could be lured north of the border by the prospect of Champions League football.
Fulham and Bolton Wanderers are among those to have expressed an interest in the player.
A move to Craven Cottage would suit the international defender as it means he would not have to relocate his family from their north London home.
However, any deal with Fulham could be delayed after they confirmed the departure of David McNally, their managing director.
Chris Bailey, Watford’s former finance director who now looks after the purse strings at Craven Cottage, has temporarily taken over McNally’s responsibilities and he could become a key player in any deal.
Ironically, he was at Watford when Shittu signed from Queens Park Rangers in 2006 in an initial £1.6m deal rising to £3m.
Watford have already paid the Loftus Road club an additional £250,000 when Shittu made his 50th appearance for the Hornets.
There is also thought to be a sell-on clause in the deal.
Aidy Boothroyd tried to sell Shittu last summer but found no takers, yet the defender came back from the wilderness to emerge as a key player in Watford’s season, netting nine goals and finishing as the club’s leading scorer in 2008 with four.
Although they have not always seen eye to eye – particularly in April last year when Boothroyd left Shittu out of the side for the FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United – the manager would like to retain the services of the hulking centre-back, but he knows he cannot satisfy Shittu’s desire to play at a higher level and is under pressure from the board to balance the books.
Shittu only has one year left to run on his contract and Watford cannot afford to let him leave for nothing next season, particularly with just one season of parachute payments to come.
“Danny is obviously keen to play in the Premiership, he’s made no secret of that, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens,” said a source close to the big defender.
“He is keen to sort his future out. If he stays at Watford then he will be an important asset for them.
“If he goes then it would have to be the right deal for all parties.
“He’s a quality centre-back, performed really well last season, scored nine goals and had a good African Nations, so there should be a lot of interest in him.”
