Brentford have been linked with a move for KV Mechelen teenager Moncef Zekri, with Sacha Tavolieri reporting the Bees are looking to match Inter’s offer for the left-back.
Brentford have been linked with a move for Moncef Zekri after Transfer News Journalist, Sacha Tavolieri, reported that the Premier League club are looking to match Inter’s offer for the KV Mechelen defender. Tavolieri said Inter have opened talks with the player’s representatives and put forward a package worth €4.2 million, payable in instalments, plus a 10 per cent sell-on clause, with Brentford now trying to come in at the same level. He also added that Zekri could remain on loan at KV Mechelen for another season as part of the deal.
Brentford’s interest appears to have moved beyond simple scouting, even if no agreement is in place yet. Brentford are being described as ready to match Inter’s proposal suggests a player they have moved beyond merely monitoring, particularly given the level of competition involved. Inter’s presence in the race alone points to the regard in which Zekri is held.
Zekri is a 17-year-old left-back who has broken into KV Mechelen’s senior setup this season. The Moroccan youth international, has already made double-figure league appearances in Belgium despite his age. A profile that fits the kind of emerging talent Brentford have often been willing to target, especially when the route to development can include a year of further first-team football elsewhere rather than an immediate Premier League step.
The possible loan-back element is important in that context. If Tavolieri’s information is correct, the structure would allow Brentford to secure the player now while leaving him in an environment where he is already playing senior football regularly. For a club with Brentford’s recruitment model, that would make the move look like a longer-term investment rather than a signing for immediate first-team impact.
There is also some recent context around Brentford’s interest. Reports last month said Brentford were among the clubs to send representatives to watch Zekri against Anderlecht, suggesting that this is not a sudden move, but one that has been developing over several weeks. That does not prove a deal is close, but it does make the latest claim easier to place within a wider pattern of interest.
What makes the link notable is the level of competition. Brentford are not being mentioned alongside a mid-table rival or a speculative enquiry, but alongside Inter. For a 17-year-old defender still at Mechelen, that says plenty about how highly he is rated and about the calibre of deal Brentford are trying to pull off.