Burkina Faso national team star forward Dango Ouattara is the latest talent from the West African country to make his big move with the FC Lorient player on his way to the southwest coast of England after a transfer fee was agreed between Lorient and English Premier League club AFC Bournemouth. The 20-year-old is moving for a reported fee of around £20 million after an excellent first half to the 2022-23 season in France’s Ligue 1 and may be available as soon as Saturday for Bournemouth when they take on Nottingham Forest.
After breaking into the first team at Lorient last season the Burkinabé forward became a key player for the team currently sitting in 7th place in Ligue 1, scoring 6 goals and providing 5 assists in 18 matches. Ouattara developed at Ouagadougou club Majestic FC, scoring 5 goals in 11 matches during his debut professional season before moving to Lorient’s reserve team in July 2020 soon after turning 18-years-old. After breaking into the Lorient first team he displayed his talent at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, playing an important role as Burkina Faso finished in fourth place at the competition played in Cameroon.
Ouattara’s transfer is a record fee paid for a Burkinabé player if the reported fee is correct, placing him slightly ahead of Edmond Tapsoba’s €20 million transfer from Portuguese club Vitória de Guimarães to German Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen as well as when Bertrand Traoré moved for €18.5 million from Olympique Lyon to Aston Villa. Bournemouth will need Ouattara’s abilities as the club continues their relegation battle, currently sitting just outside the bottom-3 in 17th place on 16 points.
