Young central defender Maxime Estève (21), linked until June 2025, is leaving Montpellier to join the English club Burnley, his training club announced on Thursday.
Montpellier, who had refused an offer from Nottingham Forest last winter, this time accepted the proposal of 12 million euros (plus two bonuses), according to various sources, from Burnley, penultimate in the Premier League. Estève had expressed his intention to leave his training club after several aborted departures during the last transfer windows. “Max had plans to leave. The club was happy with the amount. We let him go. Good luck to him as I said,” testified coach Michel Der Zakarian.
The international Espoir, who arrived at the MHSC at the age of 12, has performed at the highest level for two and a half years, playing 59 Ligue 1 matches (1 goal). Launched in Ligue 1 against Marseille in August 2021 by Olivier Dall’Oglio, the slender defender (1.93 m) quickly established himself as a starter at the expense of Brazilian recruit Matheus Thuler.
To replace him, Montpellier recruited the Franco-Malian from Utrecht (Netherlands) Modibo Sagnan. Trained in Lens, this athletic defender (1.87 m) has been playing in the Netherlands since 2022 after a transfer from Real Sociedad (Spain). Montpellier is ranked 12th in Ligue 1 with three points ahead of play-off Lyon, on the eve of the 20th day and its trip to Rennes.