Watford are understood to be interested in signing Lille midfielder Sofiane Boufal.

Reports claimed the Hornets have tabled a £16m offer for the highly-rated Moroccan attacker.

But it is believed the Premier League club have only made initial enquiries about Boufal.

The 22-year-old playmaker has attracted significant interest from England with Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham all linked with a move for him.

Boufal, who scored 11 goals in Ligue 1 last season, is currently sidelined following a knee operation and will not be fit until September. But this is unlikely to deter a number of clubs from attempting to sign him.

The attacking midfielder told L'Equipe: "I don't think this injury will have any influence on my future.

"It's an injury that unfortunately strikes a lot of players and it's not an injury that can complicate my career in the short or medium term.

"My return date is foreseen in September and, at worst, I can eventually miss a maximum of three weeks of competition depending on the league I'm playing in. It's not huge."