Football League World
·6 janvier 2025
Football League World
·6 janvier 2025
Burnley forward Andreas Hountondji has agreed to join Standard Liege on loan
Burnley striker Andreas Houtondji has agreed to join Belgian First Division A side Standard Liege on a six-month loan deal, following interest from both Liege and Royal Antwerp.
That's according to Sacha Tavolieri, who revealed via X that the Benin international is keen on joining up with Ivan Leko's side, who currently sit 10th in the league.
Since joining the Clarets from French Ligue 2 outfit Caen last summer, the 22-year-old has made just nine Championship appearances, and only two starts.
His last outing for Scott Parker's men came on 10th December, when he took to the field of play for eight minutes, as the promotion chasers were held to a 0-0 draw by Derby County.
Tavolieri revealed via X: "Andreas Hountondji has agreed to come to Standard Liege.
"He wants to come and get back on the banks of the Meuse for six months, but the Liege club is not able to pay the full salary requested by Burnley to validate this dry loan."
The journalist's post, though, also revealed that fellow Belgian sides KV Kortrijk and Royal Antwerp are also interested, and would be able to match the Clarets' requests.
Sudinfo, previously revealed that Liege were keen on signing Hountondji on loan from the Clarets in an effort to bolster their forward line, without an option to buy the Benin international, who still has three-and-a-half years left on his contract at Turf Moor.
Liege boss Ivan Leko is said to be particularly keen on signing the Clarets forward, due to the fact that current Standard striker Mohamed Badamosi is injured, and has not featured since a 1-1 draw with Sporting Charleroi back in November.
Meanwhile, Sudinfo also report that Hountoundji is not the only Burnley player on Leko's radar, as the Belgian First Division A side are also interested in capturing defender Hannes Delcroix, who is currently injured and has not played for the Lancashire side since a Premier League meeting with West Ham United last March.
While a stumbling block has emerged in Liege's efforts to sign the forward, it is clear that he is in need of a loan move away from Turf Moor, and has not managed to become a regular feature for Parker's side.
When the Benin international joined the Clarets last summer, he appeared to be an exciting addition, who notched 14 goals and four assists in 36 French Ligue 2 outings during a loan spell with Rodez last campaign.
However, he has seemingly struggled to adjust to the demands of Championship football, and has faced a lack of gametime since signing for the Turf Moor side.
It would be beneficial for both Hountondji and the Clarets if he went out on loan and earned more minutes, whether that's at Liege, who he is keen on joining, or elsewhere.