Watford technical director Filippo Giraldi believes Hornets star Roberto Pereyra is good enough to play for the likes of Chelsea.
The Argentina international has been outstanding this season and reports suggest Watford could struggle to keep him.
Italian club Torino previously tried to buy him and have been tipped to try again this summer.
But Giraldi believes the player is more likely to join a top Premier League club if does end up leaving Vicarage Road.
“I do not like to comment on transfer market speculation,” Giraldi told Radio Kiss Kiss in Italy, as reported by the Evening Standard.
“In football, nothing is impossible, but I see it as a highly unlikely scenario as for us he (Pereyra) is a very important player.
“I think he can go to a great team, and I say it with all due respect to Torino. I see him as a potential Chelsea player.
“He played at Juventus, but he lacked continuity. With us he has excellent statistics and I see him in a great team.
“We will do everything we can to keep him, otherwise he will go to a big team.”