Brentford confirm first January arrival after winning race to sign teenager Yunus Emre Konak
Brentford have announced Yunus Emre Konak as their first signing of the January transfer window.
The teenager turned 18 on Wednesday and is expected to initially join up with the Brentford B team, hoping to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Yehor Yarmolyuk, who has made the transition to the first-team this season.
Konak signed his first professional contract with Turkish club Sivasspor in March last year and has made a strong impression since making his debut in August.
The midfielder has become a Turkey U21 international and attracted attention across Europe, with Brentford winning the race to secure his signature.
The Bees had to wait until Konak's 18th birthday this week, but have now officially completed the move to bring him to the Premier League, for a reported fee of around £4m.
Welcome to Brentford, Yunus Emre Konak! ✍️ pic.twitter.com/H35r5tzxB9
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) January 11, 2024
Brentford director of football Phil Giles said: “Yunus is an exciting young player and we are very happy to have managed to bring him to Brentford.
“He’s a player that likes to be aggressive, close players down, win tackles, and get the ball back for his team. He has a lot of development potential still, especially on the offensive side of the game, and we look forward to working with him on all aspects of his game.
“Our recruitment team did a fantastic job to enable us to move quickly and secure his signature. We look forward to working with Yunus and, hopefully, he can progress into the first team in due course.”