“It’s a really good source” – Journalist insists everything not as it seems with big Brentford transfer, clubs playing games

Brentford may not have paid a Belgian record for striker Igor Thiago, with the deal potentially cheaper than has been reported.

That’s according to journalist Stéphane Streker, who says Brentford and Club Brugge are playing games in the reporting of the transfer fee.

Thiago completed a surprise move to Brentford last week, with the Premier League side announcing the striker was set to join in the summer.

Reports around the deal indicated the Bees would be paying €34m for the Brazilian with another €3m in potential add-ons, a deal that would make him the most expensive outgoing transfer in the history of Jupiler Pro League.

Eyebrows were certainly raised at that fee given Thiago only joined the Belgian side in an €11m deal from Ludogorets in July last year.

He’s certainly had a strong season so far with 26 goals and four assists in 41 games to date but many doubted whether the fee was a smart one for Brentford to be paying for a player who is still relatively inexperienced in Europe.

It seems the deal may not be as expensive as reported, though, with Streker claiming he’s heard conflicting information from a reliable source on the matter.

“I’m not going to mention my source, but it’s a really good source,” he said.

“It turns out that the figures have been upgraded and have not been verified. It is about communication from the clubs and we have fallen for it.

“It is a chairman of a club. Just look for which one, there are 16. But he really told me that with Thiago, it was not €37m.”