It looks likely that Samir is leaving Watford, but the club had a number of homegrown defenders in their sights already.

The expected destination for Samir is Serie A, with several clubs interested. The Hornets will certainly be expecting a fee.

The 27-year-old Brazilian moved to Vicarage Road from Udinese in January and played in 19 Premier League games.

He didn’t feature in the 0-0 friendly draw with Southampton or the previous friendly against Wycombe Wanderers.

However, he started in the first three friendlies of the summer so head coach Rob Edwards has had ample opportunity to assess whether he fits into the way he wants to play.

After the draw with Southampton, Edwards said: “Yes there’s a chance now that Samir will be sold and move on. If that’s the case then we will be recruiting in that area of the pitch.”

My understanding is that the club have had various homegrown defenders in mind for a while, and the developments with Samir have now enabled them to further progress their own incoming deal.