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Watford have announced the signing of Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye for an undisclosed fee from Dutch club Sparta Rotterdam.

The five-and-a-half year deal will begin on 1 January 2022 and run until the end of the 2026-27 season.

However, the 22-year-old will spend the rest of the 2021-22 campaign back with Sparta Rotterdam on a loan deal.

Okoye has made 13 appearances for Nigeria since making his debut in a 1-1 draw with Brazil in 2019.

The 6ft 6in goalkeeper began his career in Germany at Borussia Monchengladbach and also played for Bayer Leverkusen and Fortuna Dusseldorf before moving to the Dutch Eredivisie side in the summer of 2020.

He won Sparta's Player of the Season award in 2020-21 and helped his side finish eighth in the Dutch top flight.

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