Burnley are working on a late move for PSV Eindhoven attacker Johan Bakayoko, with Fabrizio Romano sharing how much a transfer could cost.
What’s the latest Burnley transfer news?
Vincent Kompany and those at Turf Moor have been extremely busy during the summer window, with Lawrence Vigoroux, James Trafford, Zeki Amdouni, Sander Berge, Aaron Ramsey, Jordan Beyer, Wilson Odobert, Dara O'Shea, Michael Obafemi, Hannes Delcroix, Luca Koleosho, Nathan Redmond and Jacob Bruun Larsen all joining the Clarets in deals totalling just under £100m.
However, there could be scope for further additions before Friday evening’s deadline, with Bakayoko a player of interest. Reports last week claimed that Burnley had a £17m offer rejected, but it looks as if a transfer is still one to watch.
Talking to Caught Offside, Romano said that both Burnley and Brentford “are working” on a transfer, although PSV Eindhoven won’t sell for less than €30m (£25.7m) – a fairly big increase on an initial £17m offer from Burnley.
“Johan Bakayoko – This is one to watch and there is interest in Johan Bakayoko from two or three clubs in Premier League. I can confirm that Brentford and Burnley are working on it, but the situation remains open to other clubs.
“PSV Eindhoven won’t sell for less than €30m fee, at least this is their position today.”
Who is Johan Bakayoko?
Bakayoko is an out-and-out right-winger but is actually left-footed. The 20-year-old made the move to PSV’s academy back in 2019 from Anderlecht and has since progressed into a first-team regular, with his contract not set to expire until 2026.
The Belgium international is now valued at a career-high €10m by Transfermarkt and has made 44 senior appearances for his current employers. He has already registered four assists in as many games in helping PSV qualify for the Champions League, and last season, contributed to 15 foals in all competitions.
The player’s agent, Gerard Witters, has also labelled Bakayoko as “phenomenal” and “very explosive”, believing he is going from strength to strength in the Netherlands after a difficult start in senior football.
“At the beginning of 2021, Johan was not doing well. But after he got his new contract, everything changed. He started to boost his stats and his recent games were phenomenal. The club has told me that Johan is already better than they initially thought he would be.
“Before he sometimes played like a crazy dog. He had great qualities and was very explosive, but he produced poor crosses and took shots when they were not the best option.
“Now he knows a lot more what he's going to do and defenders can't stop him anymore, despite the fact that he always does the same movement (cutting inside).”
As a result, a late move to England and potentially Turf Moor could be one to keep an eye on, but with Burnley already having a whopping 13 options in the final third, you could argue that a move isn’t necessarily make or break when it comes to Burnley’s season.