Premier League duo West Ham United and Crystal Palace are both said to be keen to sign Jonathan Bamba on a free from Ligue 1 outfit St Etienne
The fact that Jonathan Bamba is out of contract at St Etienne this summer has not gone unnoticed by clubs in the Premier League.
Bamba has scored six goals and set up seven more – including assists in each of his last three league starts for Les Verts. But the versatile attacker has made it clear that he is unlikely to extend his stay at the Stade Geoffrey Guichard beyond this season.
That does not mean St Etienne have given up hope of convincing him to stay, however.
“I think he’s very good,” manager Jean-Louis Gasset said in quotes reported by Goal. “I’ll go out of my way for him to stay here.”
“He’s very brave. He’s a worker. If I had to give advice to him, it would be to stay here. He can flourish here.”
Bamba’s future has been a talking point all season for St Etienne, with the forward even dropped to the reserves earlier in the campaign as the contract impasse continued.
Despite the club’s best efforts, Bamba still looks likely to depart – which is good news for both West Ham and Crystal Palace, who could snap up one of the bargains of the season if the latest exciting French winger moves to the London Stadium or Selhurst Park on a free.
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