Inter have agreed a deal with Troyes to sign centre-back Etienne Kinkoue for an undisclosed fee, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.
The Nerazzurri were thought to be on the verge of announcing the 17-year-old’s arrival at the start of July, but these reports proved unfounded.
Kinkoue helped Troyes finish third in Ligue 2 last season, before Rui Almeida’s side lost to Lens in the play-off semi-finals.
He will begin training with his new teammates next week when Inter return from their preseason tour in Asia.
Kinkoue has made four appearances for France’s under-17 side, scoring against Italy on his debut in December.
He has played with Lucien Agoume for Les Bleus, who also signed for Inter earlier this summer and is in Asia at present.
Last month, Tuttosport profiled the youngster and assured supporters they would be impressed with his technique and aerial prowess.
“The first thing that strikes you with Kinkoue is his extraordinary height, which is around 1.95m,” the Turin-based paper said.
“It makes him a formidable player in the air but he has good feet as well. He started his career in midfield and has since moved back into defence without losing his ability on the ball.
“If you were looking for a defect you could say he isn’t very quick, which is because of how long his legs are.”
Kinkoue is all but certain to play with the Primavera side this season, given Antonio Conte already has six first-team defenders in his squad.
It remains possible he will enjoy a few training sessions with the first team, though, particularly while preseason is still ongoing.
