West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a huge blow in their hopes of holding onto Cedric Kipre this summer as the defender is set to complete a move to the top-flight of France, according to the latest reports.
The Baggies have already strengthened their backline this summer heading into the new campaign, bringing Swedish defender Torbjorn Heggem to The Hawthorns from Allsvenskan club Brommapojkarna, while Kyle Bartley also penned a new one-year contract to remain with the West Midlands outfit.
However, the club failed to agree terms over a new contract with Bartley’s partner in crime, Kipre. Following the publication of their retained list, West Brom revealed that the 27-year-old was offered a new deal to keep him at the club but, several weeks later, the player is still a free agent.
That is until the end of this week. Sky Sports News reporter Dharmesh Sheth has stated that the Paris-born defender is closing in on a move to Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims following the expiration of his contract at West Bromwich Albion earlier this month.
Furthermore, the journalist has claimed that Reims will announce the signing of the former Cardiff City loanee later this week after fending off intense competition from clubs in England and across Europe for his signature, including the Baggies who had tabled their offer to keep the centre-back.
Kipre moved to West Brom for £1 million back in 2020 following a successful two-year stint in England’s second tier with Wigan Athletic and went on to make 67 appearances for the club. Despite never playing in the Premier League, the ex-Ivory Coast U23s international will now play in one of Europe’s top-five divisions.
Writer’s View
Only goalkeeper Alex Palmer made more appearances for West Brom than Kipre last season as Carlos Corberan’s side managed to reach the play-off semi-final before losing to Southampton. Additionally, the side boasted the third-best defensive record in the Championship in the previous campaign behind only Leicester City and Leeds United. Kipre was a major factor behind this impressive statistic.
This news has dealt a significant blow to Corberan before the season has even started, particularly since Bartley is in the twilight years of his career and will turn 34 at the end of the season. As a result, the experienced centre-half will need replacing very soon but this wouldn’t have been as much of a problem had Kipre stuck around a while longer.
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