Peter Lynch

Sun 13 August 2023 9:40, UK

West Ham technical director Tim Steidten is hurriedly chasing a £30million move for Bayer Leverkusen defender Odilon Kossounou, according to The Sun.

The newspaper reported on its website on Saturday (12 August) that Steidten knows the 22-year-old from his time at the Bundesliga club.

The swoop comes as West Ham’s move for Manchester United man Harry Maguire is stalling over personal terms, the newspaper added.

“West Ham’s bid for centre-half Harry Maguire is stalling over personal terms,” according to The Sun. “So the Hammers are hurriedly turning instead to Bayer Leverkusen’s Odilon Kossounou – lining up a £30million swoop.

“Manchester United have accepted a £30m bid for England star Maguire but they would have to part-fund his wages.

“Ivorian Kossounou, 22, has come up as the major alternative, with West Ham sporting director Tim Steidten knowing him from his time at the German club. Leverkusen may even be open to a loan deal with a guaranteed buy later.”

Major frustration

West Ham have seemingly been trying to get the Maguire deal over the line for some time now, with fans desperate to see more new faces arrive at the London Stadium this summer.

But the latest development regarding the England international will be of huge frustration to those fans and indeed the club in general, who are running out of time to secure a move for the 30-year-old.

His Manchester United career is up in the air, and things don’t look like getting much better for the former Hull City and Leicester City man at Old Trafford.

The centre-back has been dropped and stripped of the captaincy, and really should be looking at forcing through an Old Trafford exit in order to gain regular playing time at this important time of his career.

A Hammers switch would be a good move for the centre-back, particularly if he wants to keep hold of his England place.

In other West Ham news, the Hammers have missed a multi-million deadline to complete the signing of a new striker this summer.