Espanyol have joined Watford in a bid to sign Liverpool striker Jerome Sinclair according to calciomercato.it and Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo.
The Liverpool Echo are reporting that the Reds are prepared to take a ‘hardline stance” over Jerome Sinclair’s proposed move away from Anfield. According to the paper, the 19 year old was subject to a £1.75million bid from Watford in the January transfer window and with the striker’s contract expiring at the end of this season, the Merseyside club are prepared to hold out for a tribunal fee if Sinclair refuses a new contract and wishes to leave.
Liverpool are hopeful of getting £2million in compensation, more than they were offered in January, but they also believe that the hardline approach could work the same way it did with Bradley Smith at the end of last season. Australian left back Smith contract expired last summer but after no one was willing to sign the 21 year old and pay the compensation owed to Liverpool, Smith eventually signed a new contract with the Reds on terms he had previously rejected. Smith has gone on to perform well in the his appearances in the first team this season when replacing Alberto Moreno at full back.
The situation with Sinclair however could be more complicated as the striker wants more first team action. He scored his first goal for the Reds in the third round of the FA Cup against Exeter this season, and the Echo believe Watford may have already offered the youngster a three year contract.
