West Ham United and Leicester City are hoping to bring Mainz’s £10 million speed-machine centre-back Jerry St Juste to the Premier League in the summer transfer window, BILD reporter Christian Falk writes on Twitter.
It’s safe to say the Hammers have a bit of a ‘mixed’ track record when it comes to signing players from the Bundesliga. And that’s putting it kindly.
No one will look back on Havard Nordtveit’s short spell at the London Stadium with much fondness.
Sebastien Haller, Andriy Yarmolenko and Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez, meanwhile, flattered to deceive in claret-and-blue. Especially when you consider they set the club back around £80 million.
West Ham have not been put off by past failures, however.
That much is clear, given that the Europa League quarter-finalists appear to have their sights fixed on a handful of Bundesliga stoppers as they step up their pursuit of a new centre-half.
Who will be West Ham’s next centre-back signing?
Timo Hubers of Cologne is another in their sights, as is 6ft 3ins Mainz skipper Moussa Niakhate.
Niakhate has formed an excellent partnership with St Juste under Bo Svensson this season. And, according to Falk, both players have now earned a place on West Ham’s summer wishlist.
Leicester City are also keen on St Juste, a former Feyenoord man clocked as the fastest player in the whole of the Bundesliga.
And, yes, that does include Erling Haaland, Leroy Sane and the blink-and-you’ll-miss-him Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies.
Newcastle United held talks to sign St Juste in January (Sky Deutschland). It remains to be seen whether the Magpies return with a new offer for the £10 million-rated Dutchman, who Mainz expect to leave in the summer.
Newcastle will have to look elsewhere after missing out on their number one target. Sven Botman reportedly agreed a move to AC Milan this week.
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