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Irankunda latest: Watford accept Sporting’s $24.5m offer for Socceroos star

· Dave Lewis · 2026-08-05 · nguồn gốc

Watford have officially accepted a $24.5 million fee from Sporting CP for Socceroos attacker Nestory Irankunda, with the protracted transfer wrangle set to be ratified in the next 24 hours. Football360 understands the only remaining impediment are last ditch talks between Bayern Munich and Hornets officials over the share of the pie the Germans will receive, expected to be around 40 per cent ($9.8m). Bayern initially held a 50 per cent sell-on clause on the player they snared from Adelaide United. SUPERCOACH EPL: Join the official Football360 league and prove you can beat the experts! Want the latest football news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the Football360 Daily newsletter today. It’s FREE! However Watford recently negotiated to buy back a further 10 per cent, and have been playing hardball with the Germans over the final payout. The size of the transfer – which includes add ons of up to $5 million – falls just short of all-time Australian record of $26m, paid by Leicester City to Stoke City for fellow Socceroo Harry Souttar in 2023. Despite returning to pre-season training at Vicarage Road after the World Cup, Irankunda, 20, has had his heart set on the move for several weeks, believing his career can scale new heights with the Portuguese title holders, whose presence in the Champions League provides an extra lure. UPDATES: Transfer News LIVE BOOKMARK: Transfer Centre: Every Australian move ahead of 2026-27 season, A-League and abroad MORE SIGNINGS: TRANSFER WINDOW NEWS It was Irankunda’s explosive pace and finishing power which persuaded the Portuguese giants to make him one of their top targets. He scored a stunner in Australia’s 2-0 win over Turkey in the group stage in the US, playing a total of 264 minutes across four matches. It now appears – unless there any unforeseen late hitches in discussions between Watford and Bayern – Sporting have got their man.