Chelsea are interested in signing Watford's Roberto 'Maxi' Pereyra, according to the player's agent Sergio Furlan, who feels his client is currently enjoying the best season of his career.
Pereyra signed for the Hornets in 2017 at the request of then manager Walter Mazzarri, who had followed the midfielder's progress during his time in Serie A, which included two Italian titles with Juventus.
The Argentine hit the ground running in the Premier League, scoring on his debut and going on to become a key member of the squad, picking up several admirers in the process.
Former boss Mazzarri, now at Torino, remains a big fan of Pereyra, but Furlan revealed that Chelsea are also interested in the ex-River Plate man.
“[Mazzarri] is why Maxi moved to England after two years at Juventus,” the agent told Tuttosport, “he wanted him at Napoli in 2012 after his first year at Udinese. He wanted him for Torino in the summer too.
“Chelsea are interested as well but Watford have postponed everything until June.
“In the market you can never say never, but I can almost categorically rule out a January move. He's focused on the team and the club don't want to sell him halfway through a campaign.
Getty“Maxi wouldn't want to leave Watford at such an important time either.”
At 28 years old, however, Pereyra is at his peak, meaning a move to a larger club would likely need to happen soon if he is to add to his trophy haul.
He should have no lack of suitors in that department though, with Furlan insisting his client has never been playing so well on a consistent basis.
“Maxi is playing his best season,” he said. “In general, the entire calendar year of 2018 represented him really taking off.
“He has never scored a dozen goals in less than 12 months – and we're talking about a midfielder, not a striker.”
Pereyra will have a chance to add to his tally when Watford make the trip to take on Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday.