West Ham United are looking to beat Premier League rivals Arsenal to Amadou Onana and have seen a £20 million bid rejected by 2021 Ligue 1 champions LOSC Lille, according to The Athletic.
With Manchester City travelling to the London Stadium in just four weeks’ time, David Moyes has a grand total of two deep-lying central midfielders at his disposal. Mark Noble’s retirement – coupled with Alex Kral’s departure – means there is a worrying absence of competition for Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice in the middle of the park.
So no wonder The Hammers are prioritising a player of Onana’s ilk.
A rambunctious and rangy number six, Onana is a colossal presence at the heart of Lille’s engine room. Quite literally, given that he stands at a sky-scraping 6ft 5ins. And the fact that Onana has been mentioned as a replacement for Aurelien Tchouameni at Monaco highlights how much he has in common with a man who recently joined Real Madrid for a staggering £85 million.
West Ham bid £20m for Amadou Onana
It won’t take quite that much to lure Onana away from Lille. Though Les Dogues are not going to let their coveted 20-year-old leave without a fight.
The Athletic say that West Ham have seen an opening bid of £20 million batted away. The Europa League semi-finalists are now weighing up another offer. The report adds that Moyes is prioritising a young, hungry midfielder with re-sale value. Onana, who turns 21 next month, ticks every single box with magic marker.
Arsenal are also interested. The Gunners have reportedly met with Onana’s agent. It remains to be seen if they take a leaf out of West Ham’s book and firm up their interest with a cash offer.
“He’s on his way, and making progress just how we imagined he would,” says then-Lille coach Jocelyn Gourvennec, who has since been replaced by Paulo Fonseca.
“He has a lot of potential and quality. He has a lot of enthusiasm, desire and personality and we must channel all that.”
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