Strasbourg move for Nice centre-back Kojo Oppong after Trabzonspor interest | OneFootball

Strasbourg have moved for Nice centre-back Kojo Oppong, with Trabzonspor said to have made the 22-year-old a priority target, according to L'Équipe.

Little known on arrival last summer, Oppong was among the few at Nice to kick on during a grim season. He is now a Ghana international and a World Cup player, and is viewed differently at the club and in the market.

Signed from Norrköping for 2.7m euros, he had been earmarked to spend his first year adapting before stepping up as a starter the next. His rapid rise changed that plan, and it is now probable he leaves after one season, having started 40 of 43 matches in all competitions.

Amid an austerity drive, Nice expect to sell either Antoine Mendy or Oppong, their leading defensive assets. A fee for Oppong would be above 10 million euros, and several clubs would be ready to pay it.

Strasbourg have conceded 18 goals in four pre-season games and are actively seeking a centre-back, with Ismaël Doukouré also given permission to leave. The club have enquired in recent days, and see the right-footed Oppong, under contract until 2029, as a credible option after Ibrahima Ba instead joined Sporting CP.

For Nice, his exit would be a sporting loss but would satisfy Ineos, the owner. In a back three, Olivier Pantaloni has options in Junior Mandza, Youssouf Ndayishimiye, Moïse Bombito, Oppong or Mendy, Brad-Hamilton Mantsounga and Mohamed Abdelmonem, whose early pre-season has pleased the new staff.

Source: L'Équipe

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