Mohamed Daramy admits he ‘spoke to Vincent Kompany’ and was ‘close’ to joining Burnley before snubbing the Premier League outfit and leaving Ajax for Reims instead.
With Stade de Reims sitting sixth in France’s top flight, the former Copenhagen speedster could be forgiven for concluding that the choice he made during the summer of 2023 – when clubs on both sides of the Channel expressed their interest – was the right one.
While Reims look to force their way into the European reckoning, Burnley’s ambitions are all about avoiding the Championship rather than dreaming of the Champions League.
Mohamed Daramy, scoring three times and setting up five more, has played a major role in another season of coupon-busting overachievement at Reims too, the highly-rated head coach Will Still getting the best out of another fresh-faced, mercurial talent.
Burnley nearly signed £15m Mohamed Daramy from Ajax
“It was between Reims and Burnley this summer. In the end, I chose Reims,” the one-time Celtic target tells Tipsbladet, moving to France for a fee which could rise to £15 million.
“I spoke to both Will Still and Vincent Kompany, so I could hear what plans they had for me and where I could see myself.
“Kompany was a super cool guy. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t close to moving there. But, in the end, I went with my gut. I took my time and then I chose what I thought was best for me.
“Kompany is a great coach, and he had a good understanding (of me). He also taught me some things about making choices because it was a difficult choice for me.”
Daramy, who struggled to make a name for himself at Ajax, left those Burnley talks with a great deal of respect and admiration for Kompany.
The upside, at least for Clarets supporters, is that – for all their faults – Burnley are not short of exciting young widemen in Daramy’s mould, with Luca Koleosho and Wilson Odobert silver linings around the dark clouds hanging over Turf Moor.
Thriving in France
“I talked to (Kompany) a lot. I told him I had chosen Reims,” Daramy adds. “Of course, he would have liked to have me, but it didn’t turn out that way, and then he wished me luck.
“He also said that if I needed a chat, I could get hold of him. So he seems like a good guy.”
Burnley have signed David Datro Fofana from Chelsea this month. They could yet move for Marseille’s £15 million-rated midfielder Pape Gueye too. The Ligue 1 giants confirmed recently that he is available for transfer.
There is also interest from Leeds United, HITC Football understands, in right-back Connor Roberts.
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