West Ham United can make Frank Leboeuf eat his words with N’Golo Kante transfer this summer
West Ham United have been exploring the transfer market for multiple additions to their squad since it was opened.
The Hammers have already welcomed three players to their first team with Max Kilman, Wes Foderingham and Luis Guilherme all arriving.
West Ham’s transfer activity has been busy this season with links to the likes of Matias Soule and Steven Bergwijn dominating the headlines.
However, one rumour that shocked the footballing world was that of N’Golo Kante being linked with a move to the London Stadium a little over a year after departing Chelsea for Al-Ittihad.
The France international had a stellar Euro 2024 tournament and was among his national team’s best performers.
And, despite the rumours only recently surfacing [The Guardian, 19 July], Julen Lopetegui has already had a verbal offer rejected [The Athletic, 22 July] for the midfielder.
This caused a reaction from former Chelsea man Frank Leboeuf who urged the Blues to hijack the potential West Ham transfer for Kante and bring him back to Stamford Bridge.
West Ham United need to make Frank Leboeuf eat his words this summer
Speaking on ESPN [19 July], LeBoeuf said: “When I saw the article I said, ‘what? Why don’t Chelsea call him back?’ The guy is from Chelsea.
“We don’t want to see him at West Ham, with all due respect, and I think if West Ham can get him, you know, that’s a very good catch because that guy has proven during the Euros that he was still at the top.”
The Hammers have been readying themselves for a summer of change this season after recording a ninth-place finish in the Premier League last season.
Flynn Downes is a player who has been allowed to exit the London Stadium this summer despite the Hammers’ need for a defensive midfielder.
He was sold for £15million which would be a large portion of the fee required to pry the Frenchman from Al-Ittihad.
Although the fee is a small stumbling block in their pursuit of the former Chelsea man it’s his wages that cause the main problem.
Kante moving to West Ham would be a statement signing from the club and would really show they mean business this summer.
And if they can do it, it will show people like LeBoeuf just how much they mean business.
In other West Ham news, a winner has been named in the race for Youssef En-Nesyri.
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