Watford have this evening confirmed the loan signing of striker Henrique Araujo from Benfica until the end of the season.

Araujo, who turned 21 last week, signed a contract extension in November 2022 that tied him to the Primeira Liga club until 2027, which includes an eye-watering €100m buy-out clause.

However, he has been allowed to join Watford for the remainder of the season in order to gain more first-team experience.

When he spoke to The Watford Observer on Friday, head coach Slaven Bilic said he was “very, very excited” about the striker.

You can read the full interview by clicking here.

Subject to international clearance, Araujo will be in the squad for Saturday’s trip to Middlesbrough, and has been given squad number 21.

Araujo has made five substitute appearances for Benfica in the Primeira Liga this season, as well as three starts and two more appearances from the bench in the Champions League.

The striker scored in the 6-1 win away at Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League in November.

Also this season he’s scored four times in six starts for the Benfica B team, and has found the net four times for Portugal Under-21s including a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over the Czech Republic.

The Watford Observer talked to Portuguese football expert Aaron Barton, of website Proxima Jornada, about Araujo.

Click here to read the full interview – one quote that should excite Watford fans is “If given chances, Araujo should bring goals.”