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Watford sign Orestis Karnezis from Udinese; Molla Wague to follow

Watford have signed goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis on a season-long loan from Udinese and are also set to add defender Molla Wague from the Italian club, according to an ESPN FC source.

Greece international Karnezis, 32, had been a first-team regular at Udinese prior to this season and will provide competition to current first-choice Heurelho Gomes.

Mali defender Wague, meanwhile, is also set to arrive from Udinese.

The two clubs, both owned by the Pozzo family, agreed the deal on Thursday, and Wague will join up with tje squad after the international break. Wague is set to play in his country's World Cup qualifying double header with Morocco on Saturday and Tuesday.

Wague will hope he enjoys better fortunes than his previous spell in England. In January, Udinese loaned him to Leicester City, only for him to dislocate his shoulder in an FA Cup tie at Millwall, a match Leicester lost 1-0.

Those 70 minutes were all that Wague managed to play for Leicester, as he missed the rest of the 2016-17 season. He will now add to coach Marco Silva's considerable depth in defence, where Sebastian Prodl has been kept on the bench after the return of Younes Kaboul from injury.

Silva has favoured three centre backs so far this season and kept two clean sheets so far, though Miguel Britos is set for a suspension after his dangerous tackle on Brighton's Anthony Knockaert on Saturday.