Watford Drop Out of Three-Horse Premier League Race to Sign Stevenage Starlet
Watford have paved the way for a north London battle for Stevenage starlet Ben Wilmot after ending their interest in signing him.
The Hornets had been chasing the defender alongside Premier League rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, but Sky Sports has now confirmed that they are no longer interested in bringing Wilmot to Vicarage Road.
That leaves the Gunners and Spurs in a capital fight to land Wilmot's signature, who is thought to be valued at around £1m by his club according to the Sun,
Watford had made a £500,000 bid for the England Under-19 international in the January transfer window, but were rebuffed in their advances for Wilmot.
Despite media reports suggesting they would move for him again in the summer, a source close to the Hornets told Sky Sports that the Hertfordshire-based team no longer wished to poach him from League Two.
The source said: "The club have moved on in its list of targets and priorities. A bid was turned down in the last window and there is no longer any interest."
Stevenage admitted at the start of April that Wilmot was edging towards the exit door, and it seems that a straight fight between Arsenal and Tottenham will see Wilmot head to London when the current campaign ends.
Wilmot was omitted from Stevenage's squad for the clash with Mansfield Town on Tuesday as speculation continued to persist over his future, and Stevenage chairman Phil Wallace stated that his lack of involvement was due to apparent negotiations with interested parties.
"Ben came back from International Duty with England last week and we have had developments that suggest a deal will be agreed shortly for him to move when the window opens.
"We have had interest from Premier League and Championship clubs, which is not surprising when Ben is recognised by England as being one of the top four centre halves at his age level.
"We have made public our valuation and the closer we are getting to that the more likely it is that Ben will move."
