Kevin Danso: Former Premier League player to undergo heart surgery

Former Premier League footballer and Southampton loanee Kevin Danso will undergo heart surgery after his £21 million transfer move to AS Roma in the summer transfer window collapsed.

During the course of the transfer, a ‘harmless scar’ was found on his heart, according to Austrian outlet Kronen Zeitung - it is unclear how long he had been playing under these conditions.

Danso’s stint in the Premier League was very brief - the 26-year-old joined Southampton on loan during the 2019/20 season, making six appearances for the Saints. There was an option to buy clause in his contract, but Southampton did not take it up.

Currently, he plays for RC Lens in Ligue 1. In addition to this, Danso has also been capped 23 times since 2017 by his native Austria and played at Euro 2024 - he has yet to score a goal on the international stage.

He has made three appearances in all competitions for Lens this season, but has not played for them in a competitive capacity since August due to his cardiac irregularities. Nevertheless, if his surgery goes to plan, he could return to the pitch as early as October. He helped Lens keep two clean sheets in their opening two Ligue 1 games - since he left the squad due to his heart issues, they have kept just one clean sheet in three league games.

In August, after Danso’s move to Roma collapsed, he wrote a statement: “I am very surprised by the supposed reason for the collapsed transfer. Both the doctors of the Austrian Football Association and the medical department of RC Lens have closely monitored me and regularly examined me over the past years. Most recently, I was thoroughly assessed at the start of pre-season training in Lens and no irregularities were ever found.”