• 29-year-old Argentinian has been offered two-and-a-half year deal • Zárate has previously played for Birmingham, West Ham and QPR

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Watford have agreed a deal with Fiorentina to sign the striker Mauro Zárate for £2.3m. The 29-year-old Argentinian has been offered a two-and-a-half year deal and the Premier League club are expected to announce the signing in the next couple of days.

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Zárate is set to fly to London for his medical on Sunday with a view to joining his fourth English club, having already played for Birmingham City, West Ham United and Queens Park Rangers.

Zárate has not started a Serie A game for Fiorentina this season, but scored after coming off the bench against Lazio and Napoli in December. He moved to Fiorentina from West Ham in last January’s transfer window, leaving England with a record of nine goals in 40 Premier League appearances.

The striker’s arrival from Fiorentina is Watford’s first permanent signing of the January transfer window, after securing Everton’s Tom Cleverley on loan. Watford manager Walter Mazzarri will hope Zárate can add goals to his side, whose two top scorers – midfielder Étienne Capoue and striker Troy Deeney – have just five goals each in the league this season.