Watford: Ashley Young ‘is in talks to return to his former club’ with Inter Milan deal set to expire

Watford ‘are in talks to bring Ashley Young back to the club’ 14 YEARS after left Vicarage Road with the defender set to leave Inter Milan on a free transfer this summer

  • Ashley Young could be set for a fairytale return to his boyhood club Watford
  • The newly promoted side are said to be in talks to sign their former player 
  • The defender will leave Inter Milan this summer when his contract expires 
  • Young started his career at the Hornets and joined the club when he was 10 

Watford are reportedly holding talks with the representatives of Ashley Young over a fairytale return to Vicarage Road this summer.

Young joined Watford at the age of ten and spent 12 years at the club before moving to Aston Villa in 2007 – eventually earning a switch to Manchester United before heading to Inter Milan last year.

The defender has won six trophies in his varied career, recently playing an important role in Inter’s first Serie A title for nine years this season, but the 35-year-old is set to leave the San Siro on a free transfer when his deal expires next month.

Ashley Young is reportedly in talks to return to Watford with his Inter Milan deal set to expire

The 35-year-old spent 12 years with his boyhood side before leaving them for Villa in 2007

The 35-year-old spent 12 years with his boyhood side before leaving them for Villa in 2007

Young is now in negotiations with the newly-promoted Hornets about a possible homecoming – 14 years after his departure – according to Sky Sports. 

Watford are discussing personal terms with the veteran star, the report claims, with Young offered a one-year contract. 

Earlier this month Young admitted it would be hard to reject a return to Watford if they came calling for him. 

‘I’ve never said I wouldn’t go back,’ he told Sky. ‘It’s the club where I started at 10 years old.

‘It would be a difficult decision to make.’ 

Now a defender, Young has admitted he would find it hard to turn down a return to the club

Now a defender, Young has admitted he would find it hard to turn down a return to the club

Young reportedly turned down a new deal at Inter despite the club struggling financially and looking to offload players to reduce their wage bill. 

Despite his age, Young still proved to be integral to the Nerazurri squad this term – starting 14 times in Serie A under Antonio Conte, scoring once and providing four assists for his team-mates. 

He also played five games in the Champions League and has shown he has the pedigree to play top tier football as Watford look to re-establish themselves in the top tier again after earning promotion at the first time of asking. 

New boss Xisco Munoz revitilised the team and inspired a second-placed finish in the Championship after becoming the club’s second boss of the campaign.

Young bowed out from Inter Milan on a high as he helped the team win the Serie A title

Young bowed out from Inter Milan on a high as he helped the team win the Serie A title 

Watford are looking to bolster the squad with experience after winning promotion to top flight

Watford are looking to bolster the squad with experience after winning promotion to top flight

Watford’s ambitious owner Gino Pozzo will be keen to strengthen where possible for the 21-22 season and adding Young’s experienced head to the squad will stand them in good stead ahead of any relegation fight.

He played 110 times for Watford’s first team after making his debut in 2003 – before getting a £8m move to Villa Park. He excelled in midfield for the Villans and garnered interest from Old Trafford. 

Eventually United paid around £17m to snap him up, with the England international going on to play 261 times for United, winning the Premier League in 2012-13, as well as the FA Cup and EFL Cup.

He moved to Italy in January 2020 after falling down the pecking order under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, making a total of 59 outings. He reached the Europa League final in his first season – which the club lost to Sevilla – but went out on a high by lifting Serie A.