Wolves and Watford could battle it out for Aurelio Buta in January

The right back has impressed both clubs with his pace and crossing ability

A fee of £5million could tempt Royal Antwerp to cash in on their hot prospect

Wolves and Watford are following Royal Antwerp full back Aurelio Buta and could battle it out for his signature in January.

The 22-year old is relatively small at 5ft 8ins but is noted for his pace and has impressed with his forays forward and crosses into the box.

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Born in Angola but raised in Portugal, Buta originally made his breakthrough with Benfica before moving to Antwerp on loan in 2017.

Wolves and Watford could launch January bids for Royal Antwerp full back Aurelio Buta

Buta has impressed Wolves and Watford with his pace and crossing ability in the final third

The right back has made 10 appearances for Antwerp this season and scored one goal

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Antwerp made the deal permanent a year later and he has gone on to make 19 appearances this season, scoring once in a 4-1 win over Beveren.

Aurelio Buta: Stats Age: 22 Born: Angola Position: Right back Appearances: 19 Goals: 1

Wolves are keen to bolster their defence as they continue to balance their Europa League campaign on top of their domestic commitments.

Meanwhile, Watford are desperate to reverse their poor start to the season and believe Buta could help them to strengthen a leaky defence that has already conceded 21 goals in 10 games.

The Premier League sides have watched Buta extensively and, while they recognise Antwerp will be reluctant to sell mid-season, are confident a bid of £5m will tempt them to cash in on the defender.