Wolves will have to fight off Premier League competition to land a highly-rated defender.Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly ready to challenge Nottingham Forest for the signing of Le Havre defender Ettiene Youte Kinkoue.
The 22-year-old, a French Ligue 2 champion in 2022/23, enjoyed his most senior minutes to date last campaign as he racked up 22 appearances in Ligue 1. Kinkoue played a key role as Le Havre survived relegation by three points, avoiding defeat in more than half of their matches despite their recent promotion.
Football Insider reports Wolves and Forest have been drawn to Kinkoue and are both plotting moves to sign him. It’s claimed the former France Under-17 international will be available for a bargain fee of £7 million as he enters the final 12 months of his Le Havre contract.
Once on the books at Inter Milan, Kinkoue is a tall and physical centre-back who compares excellently to the elite in France. The defender was in the top 28 per cent for total defensive actions in Ligue 1 last season, while his FotMob rating averaged out at a respectable 6.90.
