Watford have signed Britt Assombalonga after the striker had his contract cancelled with Turkish club Adana Demirspor by mutual consent.

Assombalonga has signed an initial six-month contract at Vicarage Road, with Watford having the option to extend it.

His arrival may mean that Vakoun Bayo will be given the chance to go out on loan – the striker joined Watford from Charleroi in the summer and has scored four times in 24 outings.

However, with the Watford squad now containing more and more non-homegrown players, giving Bayo the chance to get game time elsewhere while adding a homegrown striking option to the squad might make sense.

Assombalonga, 30, will be making his return to Vicarage Road, having started his career in the club’s Academy after initially being spotted by Watford’s Community Trust scheme.

Watford Observer: Assombalonga in action for WatfordAssombalonga in action for Watford (Image: Action Images)

The striker only made four appearances for the Hornets but caught the eye during loan spells at Wealdstone (six goals in 11 games) and Braintree Town (five goals in five games).

He then spent the 2012/13 season at Southend United, netting 26 times in 49 appearances.

That form attracted the attention of Peterborough United, and Watford sold Assombalonga in the summer of 2013 for a fee reported at the time to be £1.9m – breaking Posh’s previous record transfer.

He was extremely successful at London Road, scoring 33 times in 58 appearances, and that led to a £5m move to Nottingham Forest the following summer.

Assombalonga became Forest’s record signing, topping the £4.5m they had paid for Dutch international Pierre van Hooijdonk.

He was prolific in front of goal at the City Ground too, his tally of 30 goals in 69 appearances including two on the last day of the season as Forest beat Ipswich Town to stay in the Championship.

In July 2017, Assombalonga again set a club record transfer fee when Middlesbrough paid £15m for his services.

He made 161 appearances for Boro and scored 47 goals, before the then-manager Neil Warnock decided not to renew his contract at the end of the 2020/21 season.

Assombalonga then moved abroad, joining newly-promoted Turkish Super Lig side Adana Demirspor.

He scored 18 goals in 54 outings, but Demirspor confirmed this morning they had agreed to terminate his contract early.

The forward has also been capped eight times by the Democratic Republic of Congo, scoring once.