West Ham United transfer news as Atletico Madrid midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia wanted
West Ham United are pushing to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia with the two clubs currently negotiating a potential deal, according to journalist Aaron Dominguez.
With West Ham resigned to losing their star man Declan Rice this summer, the Irons have been linked with a number of potential replacements including Edson Alvarez, Joao Palhinha and Kalvin Phillips.
And Atletico Madrid midfield destroyer Kondogbia has now emerged as the latest name in the frame to replace the England international, having played a bit-part role for Diego Simeone’s side.
According to Spanish journalist Dominguez [22 June], the Central African Republic ace is also attracting interest from Besiktas and Lyon but West Ham United are said to be in talks with the Spanish giants for his signature.
Taking to his personal Twitter account, he wrote: “West Ham have been pushing hard in the last few hours to sign Kondogbia.
“Already negotiating with Atlético de Madrid. He also has offers from Besiktas and Lyon.”
Decent option
While the likes of Alvarez, Palhinha and Phillips represent attractive and quality names to replace Rice this summer, there are no guarantees West Ham United would be able to acquire them.
Certainly, with Rice set to leave for big money soon, the Hammers will be expected to splash the cash to rejuvenate the squad after his departure and while that may seem exciting for fans across East London, it’s important the club do not pay over the odds for potential targets.
The Irons should have alternative targets lined up and Kondogbia represents a decent and sensible option to target. He may not be one of the more acclaimed defensive midfielders in Europe, but his experience on the continent, making 397 appearances for the likes of Inter Milan, Monaco Sevilla, Valencia and Atletico Madrid, and his destructive presence in midfield shouldn’t be discounted.
WhoScored also takes into account that Kondogbia was strong in the tackle in La Liga and successfully won around 1.9 challenges per match for his side in the Spanish top-flight.
According to FBRef, the Nemours-born midfielder excelled in comparison to his positional peers across Europe’s top five divisions concerning interceptions, nipping in to steal the ball 2.41 times per 90 minutes across the last 365 days, putting him in the first percentile for this metric.
Should West Ham United fail to acquire any of their top midfield targets, Kondogbia definitely represents a sensible acquisition.