As per one of the latest reports by Daily Mail, Burnley have placed Le Havre centre-back Harold Moukoudi on their radar in a bid to inject more steel to their back line. Apart from the Clarets, their Premier League rivals West Ham United and Arsenal are also believed to be interested to thrash out a deal for the 20-year-old. He has a price tag of £9million on his collar.
Moukoudi is one of the highly rated starlets in French football at the moment. He made 40 appearances for the French second-tier side last season, scoring 4 goals in the process. He was also handed his debut for the France Under-20 side earlier this year and since then, he has made 4 appearances for them.
A tall and strong defender, Moukoudi has been earning rave reviews for his performances in Ligue 2. However, his price tag might be a cause of concern for Burnley. He is a young defender who has no experience of English football and might find it hard to cope up with the pressure of the Premier League.
Sean Dyche has not been able to introduce even a single new player to Turf Moor so far this summer. With the transfer window set to shut down on 9th August, he has to make a move now surely. Apart from Moukoudi, Dyche also has his eyes fixed on Rangers midfielder Josh Windass. It is perceived that Windass isn’t going to be pivotal to Steven Gerrard’s plans this season.
Intriguingly, he featured on a regular basis last season, netting 18 goals in 41 games. Besides, he started in each of the two legs for the Light Blues against Shkupi in the Europa League but was on the bench yesterday against Osijek in the second qualifying round. He is a proven midfielder with a penchant for scoring goals and such an attack-minded player would certainly cause a selection headache for Dyche if his move to Burnley materializes.
He signed an extension in February and his deal runs until 2021. West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa have also shown their interest to prise Windass out of the Ibrox Stadium and the Gers want £3million to strike him off their books. The 24-year-old naturally wants regular gametime now and his decision is likely to be based majorly on that aspect. And since Gerrard is unlikely to utilise him in abundance, an exit seems the likely scenario.
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored