Championship side Watford are interested in signing highly-rated central defender Max Alleyne from Manchester City ahead of the new season. Swansea City are also firmly in the race for the England star, with competition intensifying as several clubs across Europe monitor his situation closely.
Softfootball reports that this latest development marks a notable twist in the ongoing transfer saga surrounding the 20-year-old, who has also reportedly attracted strong interest from Swansea City, Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers.
The 20-year-old started out at Southampton, but he moved to City as a teenager back in 2021, in a deal worth around 1.5m, which was a significant sum considering he was just 15 at the time.
Both Swansea and Watford have enjoyed strong summer transfer windows, with the pair bidding to build upon respective mid-table finishes in the previous campaign. Swansea have recently completed the loan signing of West Ham United defender Kaelan Casey, who has accompanied the likes of Cameron Burgess, Ethan Galbraith and Zeidane Inoussa in moving to South Wales.
Watford, meanwhile, turned heads with the capture of one time Bayern Munich prodigy Nestory Irankunda, having also signed Luca Kjrerrumgaard, Hector Kyprianou and Othmane Maamma, among others, this summer.
With senior minutes proving difficult to come by at the Etihad Stadium at present, Manchester City are prioritising a loan move that can offer Alleyne regular starts at a competitive level, with recent strategy seeing them build relationships with a variety of clubs across the Championship and Europe.
Now, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano via his X handle , Championship side Watford are now in talks with Manchester City to sign highly-rated central defender Max Alleyne on loan for the 2025/26 season.
Negotiations between the two clubs are reportedly underway for the 20-year-old with Manchester City open to the plan, while they hope to secure Alleyne on a new and extended contractual agreement before sanctioning a temporary deal. He tweeted:
Manchester City view this summer as a crucial stage in Alleyne's development, and are carefully weighing up the best destination for his first full season of senior football, with the player long regarded as a standout defensive prospects in their academy system.
In a related news, Softfootball reported earlier that Manchester City has offered new contract to midfielder current Ballon dOr holder, Rodri amid interest from La Liga giants, Real Madrid.