Exclusive: Watford plotting move for Bolton Wanderers player | OneFootball

Nathan Baxter, whose Bolton contract expires next month, is being eyed up at Vicarage Road

Watford are lining up a move for Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper Nathan Baxter, whose contract with the League One outfit will come to an end next month, sources have exclusively told Football League World.

The Hornets are under new management ahead of the 2025-26 season, with Uruguayan coach Paulo Pezzolano replacing Tom Cleverley in the Vicarage Road hot-seat.

It appears that transfers however are being done elsewhere at the club, with long-term target Hector Kyprianou reportedly set to arrive from League One outfit Peterborough United, and another domestic deal is being eyed up by the recruitment team at Watford.

Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper Nathan Baxter eyed up by Watford as free agent signing

FLW has been told that Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper Nathan Baxter is wanted at Watford, and that is despite the fact Steven Schumacher is choosing to release him when his contract expires at the end of June.

26-year-old Baxter has been at the Trotters since the summer of 2023, departing Chelsea after 17 long years, and arrived at the Toughsheet Community Stadium to be Ian Evatt's first-choice goalkeeper.

Baxter was ever-present in League One when fit in his debut year at Wanderers as they lost out in the play-off final to Oxford United, but it has been more of a mixed campaign in 2024-25, having been dropped by Evatt towards the end of his time in charge of the club, and under Steven Schumacher he only got back into the starting 11 in March.

Despite this, Watford are keen to add Baxter to their ranks for the 2025-26 season to provide depth to their goalkeeping ranks, having added Norwegian stopper Egil Selvik in the January transfer window from Udinese, just weeks after he'd joined the Italians from Haugesund in his native country.

Watford's current goalkeeper depth amid Nathan Baxter interest

With Watford wanting Baxter to arrive and provide cover for Selvik, as well as compete with him for a starting spot, the Hornets are not actually short of contracted players in that position.

Long-serving Austrian Daniel Bachmann, who has 14 caps to his name for his country, is still under contract until 2028, but he never retained his starting position from Selvik after suffering an injury back in January.