Alessandro Diamanti is set to leave Watford join Italian club Atalanta on loan, the Watford Observer understands.

The 32-year-old attacker joined the Hornets on a season-long loan from Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande in the summer. But Quique Sanchez Flores has said he can leave in order to get regular football.

Diamanti has been restricted to just 64 minutes of Premier League action this season – the last of which came in defeat at Leicester City in November.

He has yet to start a game for the Golden Boys and looks unlikely to do so with a return to Italy beckoning.

Diamanti’s loan at Vicarage Road is seen as a full transfer by FIFA because it is an international loan. This means the Hornets could loan the Italian to Atalanta for the remainder of the season.

The same ruling meant the Golden Boys were able to loan Steve Leo Beleck to Stevenage in 2013 after the Cameroonian joined on a season-long loan from sister club Udinese.