AC Milan make Youssouf Fofana decision in new West Ham United transfer twist
AC Milan have no intention of matching a £25.3million bid for Youssouf Fofana offered by West Ham, according to Calciomercato.
The Italian outlet reported via its website [1 August] that the Serie A giants are unwilling to come close to that figure due to the midfielder’s contract running out in 2025 at Monaco.
Despite this, the Hammers’ offer has never been taken into consideration, with Fofana holding out for a move to Milan as he returns to training.
West Ham United to seal Youssouf Fofana transfer?
While it is understood that Fofana has already rejected a move to the London Stadium this window, as per Fabrizio Romano [28 July], Julen Lopetegui will still be keen to add someone like him to the squad.
Considering Edson Alvarez’s injury concerns [Knees Up Mother Brown], even despite returning to the squad, another defensive midfielder would be a sensible purchase in the transfer window, an area of the squad that was an issue last season.
Kalvin Phillips looked to be the answer to David Moyes’ problems last January, though his move to London failed completely as he looked for more game time ahead of Euro 2024.
Even with Andy Irving joining Tomas Soucek and James Ward-Prowse in midfield, there are few players who can have the same impact as the Mexican maestro.
Fofana, 25, is an extremely talented box-to-box midfielder, though he is capable of playing a more defensive role, and has done so many times in Ligue 1.
With 175 appearances for Monaco since making the switch from Strasbourg in 2020, and winning 21 international caps with France, he is more than qualified for a Premier League switch.
The Hammers will clearly need to go some way to convince the player against waiting for AC Milan, but it could be a transfer saga for fans to keep an eye on this summer.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers held talks with Baris Alper Yilmaz as contract regrets emerged.
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