Watford have signed custodian Egil Selvik from Udinese.
The Watford Observer understands that the 27-year-old Norwegian international has agreed to a three-and-a-half-year contract at Vicarage Road.
The club’s first permanent signing of the transfer window, Selvik, is expected to be officially confirmed tomorrow.
Selvik, who joined the Italian team on a free transfer from Haugesund on January 10, is yet to play for them.
Watford signed forward Vakoun Bayo in 2022, only one day after leaving KAA Gent to join Charleroi.
Selvik has spent his whole club career in his home country, starting with Norwegian Division Two team Sandnes Ulf, where he made three senior appearances.
In 2018, he spent a year on loan at Division One club Nest-Sotra, appearing 32 times.
He left Sandnes in February 2019 to join Odd of Division One, where he spent the majority of his debut season in the reserves.
Selvik made his league debut the next season before joining Haugesund in Norway’s top league, the Eliteserien, at the start of 2021. He was immediately their first-choice goalkeeper, appearing in all 29 of their 30 league games.
He played all 30 games the following season and missed only one in 2023, while captaining the squad thrice.
Selvik served as the permanent team captain in the 2024 season, when Haugesund finished 14th in the league and faced a relegation play-off.
The goalie preserved a clean sheet in both games, as they drew 0-0 away to Moss before winning 2-0 at home to maintain their top-tier position.
He had played 120 senior games for Haugesund before joining Udinese just over a month ago.
Selvik was first invited into the Norway squad in 2022, and he made his debut in a 6-0 friendly win over Jordan in July 2023.
He made his competitive debut in a 3-3 draw against Scotland in a Euro 2024 qualifier in November 2023, while Ryan Porteous was an unused substitute.
The goalkeeper has started both of Norway’s previous two games, preserving a clean sheet in a 5-0 Nations League B victory against Kazakhstan and assisting secure a 4-1 win away in Slovenia.
Selvik has now earned four full international caps.
