Watford have signed goalkeeper Maduka Okoye from Eredivisie side Sparta Rotterdam for a fee understood to be in the region of €6 million (£5.1 million).
Okoye, 22, has signed a five-and-a-half year contract with the Premier League club, which will begin on January 1, 2022.
He will remain on loan at Sparta Rotterdam for the rest of the 2021-22 season.
A Nigeria international with 13 caps to his name, Okoye has played in every one of Sparta’s 12 Eredivisie matches this season, conceding 19 goals.
Okoye, a member of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, began his career in Germany, enjoying a spell at Bayer Leverkusen before turning professional with Fortuna Dusseldorf in 2017.
Watford said in a statement: “The 6ft 6in shot-stopper’s consistent displays for both club and country have seen him linked with some of Europe’s biggest clubs, but he has now put pen to paper on a long-term deal with the Golden Boys.
“Welcome to Watford, Maduka.”