West Brom have missed out on the signing of Michel-Ange Balikwisha with the Baggies-linked forward agreeing a £5 million move to Royal Antwerp, the Belgian club has confirmed on its official Twitter.
It was inevitable this relationship would end in a messy divorce.
One of the breakthrough stars of the 2020/21 Jupiler League season had never hid his desire to leave Standard Liege after seven years at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne.
Balikwisha even threatened to invoke the ‘78 Law’ in an attempt to terminate his contract during the weekend, according to HLN, with his ultimatum succeeding in speeding negotiations between two top-flight rivals.
Het Nieuwsblad points out Standard Liege were desperate to avoid losing their prize asset for free.
And although Royal Antwerp are set to pay £5 million – slightly less than Liege initially hoped for – £5 million is still a darn sight better than nothing.
Will West Brom regret missing out on Michel-Ange Balikwisha?
The 20-year-old is expected to sign a contract with Antwerp until 2026 and should undergo medical tests during the next couple of days.
West Brom had been linked, via Le Soir, in April. The Championship outfit are big admirers of an exciting young talent who produced nine goals and four assists last season while thriving in a variety of forward roles.
Selling Balikwisha to Antwerp instead, however, will ease the crushing financial pressures on the shoulders of cash-strapped Standard Liege.
“The club needs to get its finances in order. If selling Mickey helps us do that, we’ll have to get rid of him. We simply don’t have a choice,” admitted coach Mbaye Leye, who led Standard to eighth in the Jupiler League last season.
While West Brom have missed out on Balikwisha, they did complete the signing of Alex Mowatt last week. The former Barnsley captain reunited with his old Oakwell boss Valerien Ismael at the Hawthorns.
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