Brentford are closing in on the signing of Michael Kayode from Fiorentina in a move that could allow the defender Mads Roerslev to leave.
Kayode, an Italy Under-21 defender who broke into Fiorentina’s first team last season, is due for his medical on Wednesday after Brentford agreed a loan with an option to make it permanent for £13.5m in the summer.
The 20-year-old, linked with Liverpool and Tottenham in the past, will provide reinforcement for Thomas Frank’s injury-hit squad, with the Scotland right-back Aaron Hickey expected to be out until April with a hamstring problem.
Kayode’s arrival could allow Roerslev, who joined Brentford’s B team in August 2019 as a free agent, to depart. Wolfsburg are understood to have made an approach to take him on loan with a view to a permanent move in the summer. The 25-year-old Denmark international has made 121 league appearances for the club, 50 of them as a substitute.
Brentford rejected a £22m bid from Nottingham Forest for Yoane Wissa on Tuesday and are adamant that the DR Congo forward is not for sale.
West Ham are preparing an improved offer for the OH Leuven midfielder Ezechiel Banzuzi. An initial bid for the 19-year-old Dutchman has been rejected by the Belgian club but it is thought about €12m could be enough.
Banzuzi, an attacking midfielder who has represented the Netherlands at youth level, is regarded as a signing for the future. West Ham’s new manager, Graham Potter, is looking for senior additions in attack, central midfield and centre-back.
It is understood Potter’s preference is to wait for the arrival of his key recruitment analyst Kyle Macaulay from Chelsea before making final calls on first-team requirements.
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West Ham’s striker targets include Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz, RB Leipzig’s André Silva, Brighton’s Evan Ferguson and Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi. Sources have questioned the seriousness of an unsuccessful £57m bid for Aston Villa’s Jhon Durán. Sources close to Lille’s Angel Gomes have played down links with the England midfielder, whose contract expires this summer.
Article by:Source: Ed Aarons and Jacob Steinberg
