Watford are hopeful of beating Leicester and Newcastle to the signing of Abdoulaye Doucoure.
The midfielder almost moved to Vicarage Road from Rennes in the summer – but the deal collapsed at the 11th hour.
The switch, however, has been revived during the January transfer window and Watford are now on the brink of completing the move.
According to Foot 365, the Hornets have lodged a bid of £5m for Doucoure.
That amount is sightly below Rennes’ asking price of £7m, but it is believed the two clubs will meet in the middle.
Both Leicester and Newcastle have shown an interest in Doucoure, but Watford’s desire to sign the player in the summer has won the 23-year-old over.