West Ham United want to sign Youssouf Fofana ahead of Manchester United in £25m+ transfer
West Ham United want to sign AS Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana ahead of Manchester United and AC Milan this summer, according to Calciomercato.
The Hammers are keen to bolster their squad during the summer with Kalvin Phillips unlikely to stick around after his failed loan, while Lucas Paqueta has also been linked with a move to Manchester City.
And according to a report on their website (3 April), the Italian news outlet report that World Cup finalist Fofana is expected to leave Ligue 1 this summer in a deal worth in excess of £25m with West Ham keen to win the race for his signature.
“Monaco knows that Fofana will pack his bags and does not intend to stop him. But he expects to collect a figure close to €30m (£25.7m) from his sale,” they wrote.
“Anyone who wants it must budget for such an investment, to which must be added a salary that will be higher than the current one, €220,000 gross per month, just over €2.6m gross per year (£42,800 per week).
“Milan has competition above all from Premier League clubs: last summer Nottingham Forest tried, this year watch out for West Ham and Manchester United.”
Fofana would be a brilliant signing for West Ham United
The Irons have built a reputation for having all-action midfielders who are capable of defending deep, exploding from box-to-box and also being a threat in the final third.
Kalvin Phillips fits that mould relatively well but has never had the athleticism that a West Ham midfielder is known for, but Fofana would certainly not have that issue himself.
His energy is fantastic, he is strong in duels and in possession he is brave and also clever with the way he uses the ball while he has experience at the very highest level too.
West Ham have enjoyed some huge wins at the London Stadium.
Usually a player of this calibre would cost twice as much as this mooted fee, but West Ham could be really smart by moving quickly to bring him in during the summer with his exit looking inevitable.
Beating Man United and AC Milan to his signature would be a real statement of intent too, so this should definitely be one to watch regardless of who the manager is next season.
In other West Ham news, the club “adore” this 13-cap international defender and talks are ongoing for a summer transfer.
