According to reports, West Ham United have now made a "verbal bid" to sign a new midfield reinforcement for Julen Lopetegui who could cost a hefty £4.8m-a-year.
West Ham transfer news
The Hammers have enjoyed a solid summer transfer window so far, welcoming Luis Guilherme, Max Kilman, and Wes Foderingham as they look to hand new boss Lopetegui the ultimate start to life at the London Stadium. Kilman particularly stole the headlines upon his arrival, given that West Ham reportedly paid out as much as £40m.
The 27-year-old expressed his delight at joining the London club, telling West Ham's official website: “It’s an amazing feeling to be a West Ham United player. As soon as I was aware of the interest from the Club, it was an opportunity I was keen to pursue, so I couldn’t be more delighted to be here.
“I really enjoyed working with Julen during his time at Wolves – he’s a top-class coach and someone I learned a lot from, and I am confident I will continue to improve as a player under his management here.”
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The Hammers aren't stopping there, however, having already opened talks over their next potential move. According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, West Ham have made a "verbal bid" to sign N'Golo Kante worth £15m, but have seen that offer rejected by Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad. The Frenchman is reportedly happy at the Saudi club, though he proved in abundance at Euro 2024 that he's still more than capable of playing at the very top.
"Unique" Kante is still Premier League quality
If there were any doubts over Kante's ability to still perform on the biggest stage then his displays at the Euros should have put those concerns to bed for good. Even at 33 years of age, the midfielder remains the impossibly athletic ball-winner who could be the perfect partner for James Ward-Prowse at the heart of Lopetegui's midfield.
Thomas Tuchel is one of many in European football to have praised Kante so highly, previously saying via Sky Sports: "I see this every day in training and it's hard to believe how good he is. Don't make the mistake of reducing him to ball-wins. He plays excellent in every possession game we have in training.
"He's a unique guy. We were strong in midfield with him, Jorgi [Jorginho], and Kova [Mateo Kovacic] in the second half. N'Golo is N'Golo, he's fantastic."
That said, if West Ham are to continue their pursuit of the World Cup winner then they will need to find a way past his current reported wage of £404k-a-week at Al-Ittihad, which sees him earn £4.8m-a-year.