Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Everton all show interest in PSV wing player Johan Bakayoko
Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Everton are confronted with a tough fight to sign PSV wing player Johan Bakayoko – even if they close a deal with the Dutch giants for his signature.
The three Premier League clubs go against each other for the Belgium International and Forest, have identified Bakayoko as one of their top summer goals after the £ 55 million from Anthony Elanga to Newcastle.
The 22-year-old is considered one of the best broad options available on the current market, because he was introduced in Eindhoven in the last year of his contract.
However, the competition for his signature is incredibly fierce with Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Monaco also in the mix for the attacker.
The majority of those parties have already started with club-to-club dialogue with PSV, but it is crucial that Bakayoko is understood as a preference for Champions League football if he has to follow a new challenge in the coming weeks, although it is unclear whether that decision is final.
The Eredivisie champions, who want to sell, can offer him exactly that next season, but they are careful that foreign teams are free to sign Bakayoko on a pre-contract agreement from 1 January.
Earlier in September 2023, the Belgian closed a club record switch to Brentford and later claimed that he did not want to become a member of a 'mid-table' side.
Sources close to Bakayoko have indicated that his preference has to fight for large trophies that have so far shocked none of the English clubs at the table.
At this stage is considered the interest of Forest and Bournemouth as more concrete than that of Everton, because the toffees also have a number of different wide options on their radar, including Takefusa Kubo from Real Sociedad.
Bakayoko collected 12 goals and three assists in all competitions for PSV last season and he already has 20 Champions League performances to his name.
In contrast to Bournemouth and Everton, Forest can offer the forward European football next season and there is a chance that they will play in the Europa League, subject to a profession, after Crystal Palace was relegated to the UEFA Conference League on Friday after alleged rules for several club ownership.