Brentford strike £17m transfer deal after authorising Christian Norgaard’s Arsenal medical
Brentford have moved quickly to strengthen their midfield ranks in light of Christian Norgaard’s impending switch across London to Arsenal
Brentford have broadly agreed a deal to sign 20-year-old Feyenoord attacking midfielder Antoni Milambo. The transfer, expected to be worth an initial £17million plus £4.25m in bonuses, has been in the works for around two months. Mirror Football first reported the Bees’ interest in early May and talks were opened between the parties during Thomas Frank’s final weeks at the club.
The Dane personally approved the arrival of Milambo but the west London outfit have had to show patience throughout the process as the highly-rated Dutch starlet has been away at the U21 European Championships in Slovakia with Oranje. Milambo started Wednesday’s 2-1 semi-final defeat to England in Bratislava and is now poised to finalise his switch to the Gtech Community Stadium as he prepares to embark on a new chapter in the Premier League.
READ MORE: Christian Norgaard set for Arsenal medical as Mikel Arteta seals double swoopREAD MORE: Harvey Elliott immediately told to quit Liverpool after England U21s heroics
Sources close to Milambo believe Brentford are viewed as the perfect club for his development after the Bees presented their project in detail towards the end of 2024-25 season, winning over the player during initial discussions. A verbal agreement on personal terms has been in place for over a month, even though Milambo has also indicated during an interview with ESPN NL that he could yet stay at De Kuip.
In Rotterdam, there is a level of frustration that they’re losing one of the club’s most-promising talents but there is also a degree of satisfaction regarding the final fee as the player only has two years left to run on his current contract.
Milambo became Feyenoord’s youngest-ever debutant at 16 years and 131 days old in August 2021 under Liverpool boss Arne Slot and he made 29 Eredivisie appearances last season, scoring three goals.
The Netherlands U21 starlet also put his name up in lights earlier in the campaign when he netted three times in the Champions League, including an impressive brace against Benfica.
He will team up with international team-mate Sepp van den Berg in the capital and looks set to become the first arrival of the Keith Andrews era, although Brentford are yet to formally confirm the appointment of the Irishman.
There are still some small details to finalise but news of Milambo’s arrival comes as a major boost for Brentford after they reluctantly agreed the departure of club captain Christian Norgaard to Arsenal.
The Gunners launched a shock approach for the 31-year-old, who only penned a new two-year Bees deal in March, on Wednesday morning and by the end of the day, both clubs reached an agreement worth an estimated £10m plus bonuses.
Brentford have authorised Norgaard to travel for his Arsenal medical just months after he rejected multiple offers from overseas to depart the Gtech on a free transfer and collect more cash in wages.
Milambo is not considered a direct replacement for Norgaard, even though he can play as a No.8 as well as a a No.10.
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