We are delighted to confirm the signing of Danish international attacking midfield player Mikkel Damsgaard, subject to international clearance.

The 22-year-old has completed a medical and signed a five-year-contract. Mikkel joins us from Italian side Sampdoria for an undisclosed fee and will train this week ahead of our Premier League clash against Manchester United on Saturday 13 August.

Mikkel will be best known to Bees fans for his performances for his country in the delayed 2020 UEFA European Championships. He helped Denmark reach the semi-final of the tournament and scored in the last-four clash against England at Wembley. That is one of four goals he has scored for Denmark in 16 appearances.

Thomas Frank, Brentford FC Head Coach, said: “Mikkel is, in my opinion, another classic Brentford signing. He is a young player with big potential to develop further. We know we can help Mikkel reach his highest level, we have the staff here that have experience in doing that and we are looking forward to working with him.

“Mikkel is a player that has shown his promise at FC Nordsjælland and Sampdoria as well as in the European Championships last summer, when he had a fantastic tournament for Denmark. He has been unlucky with injuries in the past year, but we have already seen that he is an extremely skillful player, who can run with the ball and move it well. He is aware of the space around him and plays on the half turn. He also wants to play forward and can do so by either passing or dribbling.

“Mikkel is capable of creating and scoring goals and he has the ability to run with the ball past players. That is a great asset to have in the squad. He will create chances for us and is fantastic at getting out of tight areas with the ball, we will benefit from that.

“We think Mikkel can play as one of our ‘eights’ in a 4-3-3 system or as a ‘ten’. He can also play on the wing. We will use him in the way we think we can get the best out of his offensive abilities. Importantly, he is a player that will fit into our dressing room. He is a great character, he wants to work hard, he wants to work for the team, and he wants to develop.”

Mikkel’s first games in professional football were for FC Nordsjælland, where he came through the ranks. He made his debut in the Danish top flight when he was 17 and soon established himself as a regular in the team. He played 93 games in all competitions for FC Nordsjælland, scoring 13 goals, before agreeing a move to Sampdoria.

Mikkel moved to Italy in the summer of 2020 and was a regular for Sampdoria in Serie A in the 2020/21 season, playing 35 league games. Last season was disrupted by injury, particularly the second half of the campaign. It also limited his time with the Denmark side last season, but he was part of the squad for UEFA Nations League games in June.

Mikkel has represented Denmark at Under-18, Under-19 and Under-21 level, as well as winning 16 full international caps. He made his international debut when he was 20, in a friendly against Sweden. He played in five of Denmark’s matches in Euro 2020, scoring two goals and setting up another.

Mikkel played in six of Denmark’s ten matches as they qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2022, which will be played in Qatar later this year.