Ismaël Koné joins Watford - CF Montréal will break transfer record again!

This article first appeared on Dec. 5 and has been updated.

CF Montréal have lost another star. The Major League Soccer has sold the Canadian men's national team midfielder Ismaël Koné to Watford in what will be a record deal for Montréal. Transfermarkt understands that the fee is between €8 million and €10m, which would surpass the fee Montréal received from AZ Alkmaar for Djordje Mihailovic.

The Koné deal, in fact, is the third major outgoing transfer for CF Montréal this winter. On top of selling Mihailovic to Alkmaar, the MLS club has also sold Alistair Johnston to Celtic in a deal worth initially €3.5 million. Once the Koné deal is complete, Montréal will have earned between €17.5m and €19.5m in the transfer window, possibly more once add-ons are added.

A big window, considering the club has never earned more than €2m in a single transfer period. Furthermore, Montréal paid just above €2m for the three players, and even though Nashville SC will benefit from the Johnston deal, Montréal will be left with plenty of cash to restructure the squad this winter. 

Koné to Watford: English club has developed Richarlison & Co. 

Watford, in the meantime, see Koné as an investment in the future. Owned by the Pozzo family, who also own the Italian club Udinese, Watford try to identify young talent with an eye to move them on with a transfer profit in the future. The best example is Brazilian winger Richarlison. Signed for €12.4m from Fluminense in 2018, the Brazilian was sold four years later for €39.2m to Everton. 

Although a very different player, Koné could have a similar career trajectory. Considered the most talented Canadian player since Alphonso Davies, the 20-year-old was signed from amateur club Saint-Laurent in August 2021; Koné's market value increase has been incredible, growing to €6m in just 12 months, making him one of the 15 most valuable Canadian players on the planet and one of the 25 most valuable players in MLS.