Watford's busy summer of transfer activity has seen the club secure the services of a host of players ahead of their return to the Premier League.
After signing Mattie Pollock, Kwadwo Baah, Imran Louza, Danny Rose, Emmanuel Dennis and Ashley Fletcher, the Hornets bolstered their squad once again last week by swooping for Joshua King and Peter Etebo.
Whilst King has joined the club on a permanent basis, Etebo has been signed on a season-long loan deal from Stoke City which includes an option to buy.
As a result of Etebo's arrival, Watford manager Xisco Munoz now has a plethora of midfield options to choose from.
One of the individuals who will be determined to play a pivotal role in helping his side achieve a relative amount of success in the top-flight next season is Will Hughes.
The midfielder helped the Hornets seal promotion from the Championship earlier this year by making 31 league appearances.
[gmsStartingEleven url="https://givemesport.starting11.co.uk/2019-06-17/"]
Revitalised by Munoz's decision to switch to a 4-3-3 formation, Hughes started 17 of the club's final 18 fixtures of the season.
As a result of his encouraging performances, Hughes was recently touted with a move to Newcastle United.
However, a report from The Sun that suggested that the Magpies were willing to bid £12m for the midfielder turned out to be wide of the mark as Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie revealed last week that the club were not interested in sealing a deal.
Ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, a fresh twist has now emerged regarding Hughes' future.
According to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, Newcastle manager Steve Bruce wants to sign Hughes but is currently unable to pursue a deal due to a difference of opinion with the club's recruitment team who do not want to swoop for the Watford man.
GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...
With Bruce seemingly keen to change the Magpies' transfer stance regarding Hughes, it will be intriguing to see whether he is able to convince members of the club's hierarchy to sanction a move.
Even if Newcastle do indeed decide to back the 60-year-old's judgement, it would be somewhat of a shock if Watford allow Hughes to leave.
Whilst this summer represents the last chance that the club will have to secure a sizeable fee for the midfielder due to the fact that his contract expires next year, there is no guarantee that they will be able draft in a replacement who possesses a similar amount of Premier League experience.
Having featured on 77 occasions at this level during his career, Hughes knows exactly what it takes to compete in this division and thus could potentially help the Hornets make a positive start to the upcoming campaign.
Transfer News LIVE: Elliott commits to Liverpool, Tomiyasu to Spurs, Giroud to AC Milan