Premier League clubs West Ham United, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City all sent scouts to watch PSV Eindhoven’s 2-1 Eredivisie win over Ajax on Sunday with Ibrahim Sangare starting in midfield, according to 90Min.
You’d be forgiven for feeling like almost everyone on the pitch at the Johan Cruyff Arena had been linked with a move to England at some point over the summer.
Cody Gakpo, speaking to The Times, admitted that he held talks with Leeds, Southampton and Manchester United. Erik Gutierrez was a Fulham target. And then there’s Jurrien Timber, Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus.
Speculation surrounding Sangare’s future, meanwhile, is merely on pause. The impending January transfer window will see his name return to the gossip columns with a vengeance, particularly after a trio of Sangare’s rumoured admirers – West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Leicester – all sent scouts to watch him go head-to-head with Ajax in a top-of-the-table Eredivisie clash.
Ibrahim Sangare could be on his way to the Premier League
The powerhouse Ivory Coast international, per the Daily Mail, was on the radar of all three clubs over the summer. Sangare, valued at around £34 million, would represent an upgrade on the struggling Tomas Soucek at West Ham. At Leicester, meanwhile, Boubakary Soumare still looks ill-suited to the English game, while Wilfred Ndidi’s form has nosedived over the last 18 months or so.
“I’ve followed him since he was at Toulouse. Because a very good friend of mine, Alain Casanova, coached him there,” Fortuna Sittard coach Julio Velazquez tells Sport. “He is a technically very interesting midfielder; gives continuity to the game and has a great ability to recover the ball.
“(Sangare is) very forceful and strong in direct duels. (He has) great potential and room for growth. He understands the game more and more, and masters spaces better. In addition, he also has a certain ability to arrive in the box from deep too.”
Interestingly, Sangare turned down both Everton and Southampton in favour of joining PSV in 2020.
“There was English interest,” explains former Man City winger Kiki Musampa, who’s brother is Sangare’s agent.
“Southampton wanted him but he didn’t think it was the right club. Everton also wanted him but he also had his doubts about that. Those are clubs that are not safe in the Premier League. The danger of relegation is great.”
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