He may have only made four appearances for the Hornets, but it appears that Gerard Deulofeu has done enough to secure a permanent switch to Herfordshire.

According to reports in Mundo Deportivo, Watford have seen enough from the midfielder to pursue a permanent switch for the Barcelona man

But will his parent club choose to sell the Spaniard? Well, this is where things get a little complicated.

Having come through the youth set-up at the Catalan giants, Deulofeu signed a loan deal with Premier League side Everton in 2013-14, before rejoining on a permanent deal in the summer of 2015.

After a mixed spell at Goodison Park, which included a loan spell with AC Milan, Barcelona activated a buy-back clause in the star's contract, bringing him back to the Nou Camp last summer.

He went on to make 17 appearances for the Spanish giants, before being shipped out on loan to Vicarage Road in January.

(Image: OLLY GREENWOOD/AFP/Getty Images)

Deulofeu made a promising start to his Watford career, including getting a goal and an assist against reigning champions Chelsea, but from that point things went a little downhill.

The 24-year-old suffered a broken ankle in the clash with former club Everton, seemingly bringing his spell with the Hornets to an end.

But if the reports are to be believed, the Watford fans may be seeing their man again next term.

Deulofeu's contract at Barcelona ends in just 12 months' time, meaning that if the Spanish side are to cash in, it's likely to be this summer.

However, Mundo Deportivo have also reported that the Catalan giants are keen to extend his deal at the club, as they now feel that they can command a bigger fee than the reported buy-out in his deal, which is said to be €25m.

From the outside, it appears that Deulofeu is being used as more of a financial investment than a footballing one, but ultimately any move would depend on the star's ambitions moving forward.

There are certainly a lot of hurdles which need to be jumped, but with a player of Deulofeu's quality being available for €25m, it'd be no surprise to see Watford moving heaven and earth to push a deal through.

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