Competition emerges alongside Burnley in race for attacking reinforcement | OneFootball

St Etienne and Brest are said to have entered the race for the Benin international

Burnley are reportedly facing a race against two French clubs to bring striker Andreas Hountondji to the club this summer.

French outlet L'Equipe have stated that Ligue 1 sides St Etienne and Brest both have an interest in the Benin international this summer, with the former said to be leading the way as it stands.

It was reported last week by French journalist Mohamed Toubache-Ter that the Clarets were interested in bringing the 21-year-old to Turf Moor ahead of their Championship return, with current club Caen said to be holding out for €4m for their asset.

The same source also stated that two unnamed German sides were considering a move for the striker, who spent the previous season on loan at Rodez in the French second tier.

Burnley facing St Etienne, Brest fight for Andreas Hountondji

L’Equipe reported that Burnley had made ‘real progress’ in trying to bring Hountondji to Lancashire recently, before the French duo entered the conversation for the young striker.

The Beninese forward came up through the ranks at current club Caen, but has spent plenty of time out at other clubs across France during his fledgling career, as he continues to develop away from the club.

The 21-year-old has only managed to start three matches for his parent club so far in his career, as well as coming off the bench a further 28 times, during which he has found the back of the net just twice.

Hountondji has benefited massively from his spells away from the club though, with time spent at Quevilly-Rouen and Orléans, before a successful stint at fellow Ligue 2 side Rodez in the previous campaign.

Having been allowed to join a divisional rival, the forward guided his temporary side to a better finish than his parent club in the French second tier, as he fired in 14 goals over his 34 league appearances.

His impressive season in front of goal saw Rodez finish in the play-off spots - before they lost out to recent admirers St Etienne - while Caen had to make do with a sixth-placed finish.

Burnley are looking to bounce back to the Premier League at the first opportunity this season, having spent just a single season in the top flight before being relegated.

Upon their return to the Championship, Vincent Kompany departed the club to join Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, leaving the Clarets needing to find a new man to lead them into the upcoming campaign.

After an extensive search, former Fulham boss Scott Parker [pictured] was announced as the man to take them forward earlier in the month, with the new man in charge at Turf Moor keen to start off with his best foot forward.

Parker said: “When I look at the people here, they represent that as well and I will put my absolute everything, my heart and soul into this job to get this club to the Premier League. There will be no stone left unturned in terms of the work ethic, in terms of the team they’re going to see.

“At times there will be a couple of bumps along the way, it’s not always going to be the most fluid, lovely football. That’s just part of professional football. But the one thing you can guarantee, this team will have big hearts, big souls and there will be a passion about this team that represents the local people and me. That’s what I stand for.

“While I get there might be some different opinions on that, it’s down to me and the group of players to change that, and I’m hoping we can do that.”