Kenyan Prospect, Who Missed Ksh1.2 Billion EPL Transfer, Poised for Career Revival in Netherlands

Kenyan prospect Clement Bischoff Mutahi is on the verge of completing a transfer from Austrian giants Red Bull Salzburg to Dutch club NEC Nijmegen.

Bischoff, who is of Kenyan descent through his paternal grandfather and his uncle, has been identified as the ideal candidate to replace Başar Onal, who recently departed for Lille in a record-breaking transfer.

As per Dutch news outlet VI, Bischoff will join NEC on a loan deal with an option to buy, pending a successful medical examination.

Salzburg acquired Bischoff just a year ago from Danish club Brondby, signing the left-winger to a contract running until mid-2029. He made 35 appearances for the Austrian side, primarily as a substitute. However, he did feature in the starting lineup during a 2-0 Europa League victory against Go Ahead Eagles.

His first season in Salzburg was not a resounding success. Following the departure of coach Thomas Letsch, Bischoff was removed from the first-team squad by successor Daniel Beichler for disciplinary reasons.

As a result, the forward had been training individually since April, and the Austrian club has now decided to part ways with the Danish player.

In Bischoff, NEC will hope the Danish youth international can hit the ground running and have a similar or bigger impact to Onal, who scored nine goals and provided as many assists, last season.

As a right-footed player who operates on the left wing, he fits the profile the Nijmegen club was seeking to fill the vacancy left by Onal. NEC also intends to sign another player to provide competition for Bischoff.

Bischoff, who came close to sealing a £6.9 million (Ksh1.2 billion) dream transfer to English Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion in 2025, will hope the move to the Netherlands will see him revive his fortunes and begin to attract the interest of top teams in Europe once again.

Having played for Denmark at youth level, Bischoff is yet to feature for the country in the senior team which makes him eligible for Harambee Stars if he opts to take that route.

Bischoff will become NEC's sixth new signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Tobias Storm, Perr Schuurs, Kaj Sierhuis, Adam Tahaui and Jamiro Monteiro.