West Ham United have joined Everton in the race to sign St Etienne’s Player of the Year Denis Bouanga, according to BuzzSport.
If a deal can be agreed with the in-form winger, Pierre-Emerick Aubamenyang will no longer be the only Gabonese international to grace the Premier League turf.
Compatriot Bouanga cannot match the Arsenal talisman when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net but he certainly enjoyed an impressive 2019/20, saving Claude Puel’s side from dropping into the Ligue 1 relegation zone.
The speedy forward netted 12 goals and five assists for Les Verts in 35 matches.
And reports from France suggest that he could be following in the footsteps of Emirates-bound teammate William Saliba, with West Ham arriving on the scene for a 25-year-old who continues to be linked to Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton.
BuzzSport reported a month ago that St Etienne would consider offers of £13.5 million, after rejecting a £9 million bid from a Rennes side who exceeded all expectations to finish third in France’s top flight.
If West Ham win the race, Bouanga could replace the under-performing Felipe Anderson on the left-hand side of David Moyes’ attack.
“Denis has very big potential,” former Leicester and Southampton boss Puel told But in February.
“He is on the right track. He is healthy, hard-working, he has strong physical and technical abilities.”
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