Ex-Brentford Target Johan Bakayoko Available For Cut Price January Move

On the penultimate day of the summer 2023 transfer window, Brentford fans for a short time were left incredibly excited as news broke that they were very close to agreeing a deal to sign a then 20-year-old Johan Bakayoko in a deal worth up to €40 million - a fee which would have smashed the club's transfer record at the time.

However, the joy was only short lived with it revealed just a few hours later that Bakayoko had turned down a move to West London in favour of staying at PSV Eindhoven, due to his desire to play UEFA Champions League football with the Dutch side. 

Two years on from that, the Belgian international eventually did make his move, joining Red Bull Leipzig in the Bundesliga. However, less than 18 months into his stint in Germany, Bakayoko could already be heading for the exit door, having struggled to make the impact a player with his talent would have hoped to. 

According to Florian Plettenberg and Philipp Hinze of Sky Germany, the 23-year-old, who had once been on the verge of a €40 million move to the Bees, could now be available for just €11-12 million when the January transfer window opens...

Whilst it remains to be seen whether Brentford would be tempted to go back in for a player that turned them down once, even at such a bargain price, history suggests Brentford do like to remain alert to opportunities with former key targets. 

One example of this came in the summer, when the Bees were rumoured to have been interested in a loan with an option to buy deal for Mykhailo Mudryk, upon his return from a long doping ban. Brentford pursued a deal for Mudryk on numerous occasions in 2022 and, as with Bakayoko, came very close to signing him for a club record fee from Shakhtar Donetsk before the Ukranian eventually joined Chelsea in January 2023. 

Whilst Mudryk ended up joining Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the past summer, Brentford's revived interest in the Ukrainian illustrated a belief that, despite such a long, tough period out of the game, they felt they could still get the best out of a player they had seen so much talent and potential in many years ago. 

Bakayoko has endured a tricky spell at RB Leipzig, scoring three goals in 26 appearances since his move from PSV. However, at just 23-years-old, the player is still young, with a lot of years still ahead of him to realise the potential Brentford saw in him three years ago. 

Brentford are currently not short of options on the wing. Kevin Schade is the club's top scorer in the Premier League, whilst Dango Ouattara and Jaidon Anthony have both started and impressed in various games this season. Keane Lewis-Potter, the club's current first choice left back, is also capable off the wing, and Romelle Donovan, who has impressed on loan at Sheffield United, and Gustavo Nunes will both be hoping to become serious options out wide for the Bees in the future. 

Nevertheless, at a low price or even a loan with an option to buy, Brentford could be tempted to make a play for a cheap January deal in a move which could bolster their attacking options as they push for European football, backing themselves to get the best out of an evidently very talented young player.

Brentford head into the January transfer window after a very successful summer in which they brought in five new first team players - Jannik Schuster from Red Bull Salzburg, Jaidon Anthony from Burnley, Mamadou Sangare from RC Lens and both Callum Wilson and El Hadji Malick Diouf from West Ham United. 

Whether Director of Football Phil Giles feels there is any great need for Brentford to hop back into the market, with the club currently excelling in sixth in the Premier League, is yet to be seen, but if there is a desire to do business it would not be totally surprising if the Bees were to revisit a deal for Johan Bakayoko...