Eintracht Frankfurt are reportedly in talks to sign long-term West Ham target Ellyes Skhiri, with the FC Koln star’s contract due to expire at the end of this season.
According to the Frankfurter Rundschau, the Bundesliga side have been impressed with what they have seen from the Tunisian international this season and are now looking to sign the midfielder on a pre-contract agreement, with Frankfurt eager to beat West Ham in the transfer market.
Having dumbed the Irons out of Europe last season in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals, the German giants are now looking to get another victory of sorts over West Ham in the form of Skhiri, who according to Bild has been a target for David Moyes for quite some time.
At 27-years-old, Skhiri is in the prime of his career and has been enjoying arguably his best football this season with Koln, with the midfielder bagging three goals and an assist for the Bundesliga side as well as starting every match for Tunisia at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Indeed, with Skhiri’s contract coming to an end this summer, interest has naturally ramped up for the French-born midfielder, and Frankfurt are now looking to beat the likes of West Ham to the Bundesliga star’s signature, with the Irons yet to make any sort of move to bring in the Tunisian.
With attackers prioritised in January, West Ham might have made a miss-step in not trying hard enough to bring Skhiri to the Premier League. And with Frankfurt now in talks, there’s a strong chance that the midfielder will now sign for the reigning Europa League champions this summer.
Frankfurt signing Skhiri would be a massive blow for West Ham
Midfield has proven to be something of a problem area for West Ham this season, with Declan Rice seemingly doing all the work as Tomas Soucek’s form has continued to plummet. And signing a player like Skhiri would have been a massive boost for the Irons, though Frankfurt now look like favourites for the Koln star.
Whilst West Ham will surely have other targets in mind, Skhiri would have been a cost-effective option in the market that could have added a lot of quality and value to West Ham’s midfield, with Frankfurt on course to land the Tunisian for free.
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