Watford striker Nestory Irankunda is poised to complete a £15 million transfer to Sporting Lisbon, with the deal expected to be finalized imminently. The 20-year-old Australian forward joined the Championship club from Bayern Munich just over a year ago for a £2 million fee. Despite the substantial increase in his transfer value, Watford will receive only a portion of the profit due to a 40 percent sell-on clause held by Bayern Munich.

Irankunda, who made a notable impact at the World Cup by scoring against Turkey, showed mixed form last season at Watford, at times appearing frustrated. Following the tournament, he took part in only one pre-season friendly and was notably absent from Watford’s recent 1-0 Carabao Cup victory at home against Crawley. Nevertheless, he maintained strong support among fans, who gathered in significant numbers to greet him outside Vicarage Road after the cup match.

Sporting Lisbon will hope that Irankunda can replicate the success of Viktor Gyokeres, whom the Portuguese club acquired from Coventry City for £20 million in 2023 before selling him to Arsenal for £56 million two years later. The club is aiming to develop Irankunda into a key player in their squad while potentially positioning themselves for a lucrative future sale.