- New manager Julen Lopetegui a long-time admirer
- Kanté would add experience to Hammers midfield
West Ham hope to sign the former Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kanté from Al-Ittihad. Negotiations between the two parties are ongoing and there is a willingness to get a deal done on both sides for the 33-year-old who played for France at Euro 2024.
Kanté, who moved to Saudi Arabia in 2023 after seven years with Chelsea, is thought to be happy with his current club but is open to returning to London. West Ham would need to pay in the region of £20m to acquire the midfielder, who proved in the Euros that he still has the ability to thrive at the highest level.
The Hammers are eager to sign a defensive midfielder after Kalvin Phillips did not live up to expectations during a loan spell from Manchester City last season and his deal was not made permanent. New manager Julen Lopetegui is a long-term admirer of Kanté’s and wanted to sign the midfielder during his brief spell in charge at Real Madrid. West Ham were previously interested in Spain midfielder Aleix García but he chose to join Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.
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Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/jul/18/west-ham-in-talks-over-20m-deal-to-bring-ngolo-kante-back-from-saudi-arabia
Author : Exclusive by Will Unwin
Publish date : 2024-07-18 22:10:46
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