West Ham United submit £7.8m bid to sign Bradley Locko, Ligue 1 club Brest responds to January transfer offer
West Ham United have had a £7.8m offer to sign Brest left-back Bradley Locko rejected by the Ligue 1 club, according to Cagatay Celik.
The Turkish journalist, who writes for the local media outlet Haberturk shared on his personal Twitter account (24 January) that the Hammers had submitted an offer of €8million (£7.8) but it has been rejected by the French outfit.
Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna reported via his Twitter account on 23 January that the Hammers will look to buy Locko before sending him back to Brest on loan for the rest of the season and it appears the club want a bid in the region of £10m to part with the talented full-back.
Galatasaray have been linked with Locko’s signature but it appears the Hammers have made the first move.
Celik posted on Wednesday morning (24 January): “Sacha Boey’s transfer for 1 million euros created a strange illusion in Turkey.
“2-3 million euros were written for an unknown French player in Turkey, but we have been saying for months that this is not the case.
“West Ham United’s offer of 8 million euros for Locko was rejected. Brest’s expectation from Locko is a minimum of €12million (£10.2m).”
Long-term strategy
A deal for Locko would represent a forward-thinking transfer strategy, bringing in a player who would be allowed to remain with his current club until the end of the season, at which point he would return to the London Stadium a much better player than he is now.
With Aaron Cresswell’s West Ham contract set to expire at the end of the season, and no new offer on the horizon, it would be a case of one in, one out for Moyes with Locko stepping straight in to replace Cresswell as the backup option for Emerson Palmieri.
The 21-year-old has emerged as one of the hottest full-back properties in the French Ligue 1 so it is of no surprise he is attracting attentive eyes from clubs around Europe and it appears the East Londoners are serious about him.
A £7.8m bid has been knocked back by the French club but a bid of around £10m should be enough to secure his services as technical director Tim Steidten looks to the sustainable future of West Ham with this deal.
Locko has made 18 Ligue 1 appearances so far this season, and at just 21 years old he is gaining more experience and improving his game each week, which will be part of the reason the Hammers are keen to leave him on loan in France.
This is an exciting move by the Hammers and one which points to the change in direction they are currently undertaking with Steidten in charge of the recruitment decisions.
In other West Ham news, talks over a new signing are now at the final stages.
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