Watford lose Thorsby, get Kucka instead
Sampdoria have reportedly turned down Watford’s offer for Morten Thorsby, which is why the Premier League side went for Parma midfielder Juraj Kucka instead.
They had been in negotiations with Samp for several weeks, impressed by the Norway international’s performances in Serie A and for his country.
However, Il Secolo XIX claim the latest Watford proposal worth €6m plus €1m in performance-related bonuses was rejected by Sampdoria.
Instead, the London club switched to a different and cheaper objective, Slovakia international Kucka.
He was on the market following Parma’s relegation to Serie B and Sky Sport Italia suggest a deal was done relatively quickly.
The cost of the operation is probably in the region of €4m, much less than 25-year-old Thorsby would’ve warranted.
Kucka is already 34 years old and brings a great deal of experience, having played for Sparta Prague, Milan, Genoa and Trabzonspor before coming to Parma in January 2019.
He scored seven goals with two assists in 28 Serie A appearances last season, but was unable to prevent the Ducali’s relegation.