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West Ham United warned away from 'God's gift' Keane Lewis-Potter
West Ham United have been warned away from signing promising winger Keane Lewis-Potter this summer by Hull City owner Acun Ilicali.
The 21-year-old has been on the radar of the Hammers for some time and they are joined by the likes of Brentford, Southampton and Bournemouth in wanting to secure his signature this summer.
He has been the leading light of the Tigers’ season in the Championship and he has been touted for great things at the MKM Stadium but Ilicali has been defiant in a recent press conference.
“Keane is like God’s gift to us,” Ilicali said, as quoted by the Daily Mail. “He has extreme potential. He is going to be one of the biggest stars of the future.
“Of course, we have big offers for him. If I had any interest in making any money, there cannot be a better deal than that.
“You buy a football club and you sell the left-winger and you make enough money to make all the transfers.
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“But I reject all of these. Even if they offer £30m to me, I will not sell him because I think his presence is much more important than anything for this club at the moment.
“When I have something shiny, I do everything to get it. But in this case, he is already with us, so nobody can take him from us.”
Inside help
In the four-way race for Lewis-Potter, the Irons hold an advantage that no other side can utilise and it is something that David Moyes might need to exploit when the transfer window opens.
West ham have already made a purchase from Humberside with now star player Jarrod Bowen coming from the Tigers to the capital back in 2020.
The 25-year-old has gone on to be a proper Premier League level player and someone who could go on to play for England and win some of football’s biggest trophies throughout his career.
The same future could easily be in Lewis-Potter’s path but we will never know unless he leaves Hull reasonably soon and make that step up to the big time.
£30million might be a stretch too far though with Premier League sides looking for bargains, not rip-offs, in that department and Ilicali could be left with egg on his face if he leaves for free 12 months later.
In other West Ham news, Alphonse Areola has to be signed permanently by the club after an announcement on Thursday (19 May).
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