Transfer rumors: Youté Kinkoué and Bella-Kotchap on the radar?
TUESDAY, 8 JULY 2025, 21:36 - lajoya
TRANSFERS RSC Anderlecht has its eye on 23-year-old French defender Étienne Youté Kinkoué, currently active at Le Havre. Kinkoué, who is of Cameroonian descent, has an impressive background with training at Troyes, Inter Milan and Olympiacos. Last season, he played 28 games in all competitions, in which he received four yellow and one red card. Kinkoué has a contract that runs until June 2026 and Le Havre would be willing to let him go for a fee of around five million euros.
Besides Anderlecht, other clubs such as Besiktas, Burnley and Celtic are also mentioned as interested parties. Sheffield United and FC Köln are also said to have shown interest. With his recent selection for the France U21 in 2024, Kinkoué seems ready for the next step in his career, further fueling competition for his signature.
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Continue reading In addition, German media also mention the name of Armel Bella-Kotchap, a 23-year-old central defender from Southampton. Bella-Kotchap, who holds German and Cameroonian nationality, was trained at Borussia Mönchengladbach and last season played five games in all competitions combined.In 23/24 he played on a rental basis for PSV Eindhoven. He also represented the German national team twice in 2022. The player still has a contract with Southampton until June 2026, with an option to extend until June 2027. A ransom of 10 million euros is provided. His market value currently hovers around 9 million euros, but is in decline. Two years ago, he was seen as a rising star with an asking price of 20 million.
Regardless, the said ten million euro ransom is a financial obstacle for Anderlecht. In addition to Anderlecht, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Hamburger SV and Udinese are also interested in the defender, increasing the competition for a possible transfer. So a transfer seems rather unrealistic. A rental is also difficult since his contract expires next year, unless Southampton would exercise the one-year extension option....
