Prospective French signing Cheick Kourouma will be back home in France this weekend to try to resolve the administrative issues preventing him from completing his move to the Blues. The switch could be scuppered all together with the loose ends needing to be tied up before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
The 20-year-old can’t sign for Town until the Blues have agreements from all his former clubs, including those he played for when a schoolboy, that they won’t chase compensation technically due to them under FIFA rules.
Paris-born Kourouma spent time with French sides CO Vincennes, ASBR Football, Dijon FCO and US Torcy and Sochaux, who he joined at 15, before he moved on to Spanish club Real Zaragoza and then on to Genoa, who he left last season.
Kourouma is currently sidelined with a minor knee injury and manager Paul Jewell says he has a great deal of sympathy for him: "He’s still injured. He’s going back to France to try and get his [situation sorted].
"It’s been really difficult for the kid really because the previous clubs he’s been at need to write something that says that they won’t want compensation. The kid’s not getting paid, so he needs to sort something out for his own sake.
"So, he’s going back to France this weekend to try and get that sorted. I feel a bit sorry for him. He’s just a young player desperate to do well here. Hopefully he can get it sorted. If it’s not sorted by August 31st, we can’t do it.”
The Town boss says he’s still keen to add him to his squad — the youngster agreed personal terms some months ago — but says the Blues have to be wary not to create a situation where one of the clubs can come chasing money in the future if Kourouma proves to be a success: "This is the red tape, the bureaucracy of FIFA — he needs written permission from his Scouts team to say that they won’t be after any compensation.
"If we’re not careful we could sign him and we could be liable for €100,000 compensation, and we don’t want to do that.”