West Brom and Brighton target Michel-Ange Balikwisha must be sold by cash-strapped Standard Liege before the summer transfer window is over, coach Mbaye Leye has said in quotes reported by VP.
With Valerien Ismael putting pen to paper on a four-year deal at the Hawthorns, West Bromwich Albion can finally turn their attention to reinforcing a squad that accumulated a grand total of 26 points en route to relegation last season.
And, according to Belgian publication Le Soir, the exciting Balikwisha is one of a number of players on the Baggies’ radar.
The 19-year-old burst on to the scene with nine goals for Standard Liege last season and is already valued in the region of £7 million.
And with Standard in a dire financial position, Balikwisha’s exit feels like a necessary evil.
The reality is this. Standard have little choice but to sacrifice their star player for the good of the club as a whole.
Balikwisha could be Ismael’s first signing for West Brom
“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,” says Leye, who led Standard to eighth place in the Jupiler League last season.
“Our goal in itself is not to sell Mickey, but we do want to show we have a good youth academy.
“The young players in our academy see hard work is rewarded with opportunities to play and that they may be able to make a career, like Balikwisha.”
The Belgium U19 international featured as a centre-forward for much of last season, but is also comfortable on the right or left.
Balikwisha, then, would give Ismael plenty of options in the final third, potentially compensating for the expected departure of star man Matheus Pereira.
West Brom missed out on another versatile attacker this week when Kiril Despodov returned to Ludogorets following a miserable spell at Serie A outfit Cagliari.
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