N’Golo Kante has emerged as a shock transfer target for West Ham United overnight.
West Ham need to sign a highly energetic, box-to-box midfielder this summer, and N’Golo Kante could well be the man for the job it seems.
Interestingly, former academy chief Terry Westley once suggested that West Ham had the ‘new N’Golo Kante’ at the London Stadium in the form of Keenan Appiah-Forson.
That didn’t quite turn out to be the case did it!
The 33-year-old midfielder has been one of the best and most steady performers in world football over the past seven or eight years.
Kante joined Al Ittihad from Chelsea in the summer of 2023 . However, the 33-year-old could already be set to return to the Premier League, with the Hammers eyeing up a bold swoop.
Hammers head coach Julen Lopetegui is believed to be on the hunt for a new midfielder to play alongside Edson Alvarez this season.
The Mexican is currently suffering with a hamstring problem, and it was claimed that Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay could be London Stadium bound.
A deal to sign the Man United man looks to be unlikely now, but that doesn’t mean that Lopetegui has given up in his search for engine room reinforcements.
Kante has apparently emerged as a shock transfer target for West Ham this summer.
The former Chelsea and Leicester City man has won pretty much everything there is to win in the game, including the World Cup, Champions League, Premier League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA World Club Cup and FA Cup.
That’s quite the resume isn’t it! There is no doubting that he’s still one of the very best midfielders in world football.
And amazingly, he now could be Hammers bound.
Eye-watering finances behind N’Golo Kante to West Ham deal
The Frenchman is an absolute master at what he does, and was the very best player in his specific position in the Premier League during a five or six-year spell.
Kante has all of the attributes that we currently lack at the London Stadium, what with his tremendous energy levels, stamina and dynamism.
The Al Ittihad midfielder has proven that age is no barrier to him over the past few years, and has maintained his fitness levels through hard work and determination.
So could he really be set to come back to the Premier League after just one year in Saudi Arabia?
If he does, the figures involved in the deal could be truly astronomical.
The Guardian suggest that West Ham are closing in on a deal to sign Kante from Al Ittihad for £20 million.
Both clubs are keen to get the deal done this summer, but it seems like there could be one very big sticking point.
He signed a three-year deal with Al Ittihad last summer, thought to be worth around £86 million (BBC).
That works out to around £550k-a-week, so the France international would obviously have to take a massive pay-cut, if he is to move to the London Stadium.
The finances involved in a potential deal for West Ham to sign N’Golo Kante this summer are eye-watering.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love him for a year or two, but only if we pay him less than £150k-a-week. It will be an expensive deal, but he’s the kind of player who would make a huge difference for us, what with his quality and experience.
I just hope that if the Hammers do sign Kante, we don’t get tied into a long-term, mega-money contract with him – he is 33 after all.
