West Ham submit £12m bid to sign Banzuzi, Leuven responds amid Potter pursuit

West Ham United have seen a transfer bid for Ezechiel Banzuzi knocked back with OH Leuven valuing him at £12million, according to TBR Football.

The online outlet reported on 21 January that the Hammers submitted an offer for the Netherlands Under-21s midfielder, which has fallen well short of the Belgian side's £12m valuation for the 19-year-old.

New Irons boss Graham Potter "admires" the deep-lying midfielder, who also has interest from Monaco and Leicester City [Voetbal International 7 January], but another bid for Banzuzi – closer to OH Leuven's price tag – is yet to be tabled.

Graham Potter keen to address midfield issues at West Ham

Heading into the 2025 winter transfer window, all signed pointed towards the Irons needing to sign a new striker before anyone else, but since Potter has taken charge, he's identified another key issue.

The 49-year-old has overseen two defeats in the FA Cup and Premier League respectively to Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, either side of seeing his side squeeze past Fulham at the London Stadium.

In all three games, the Hammers' midfield was played through with ease, and despite additions having recently been made in the engine room, it's clear that Potter needs to add more bite to his side.

PSG loanee Carlos Soler has impressed despite being in and out of the side, thought Guido Rodriguez has really flattered to deceive, having been signed at Julen Lopetegui's personal request last summer [Daily Mail, 24 October 2024].

Adding a teenage Banzuzi to the mix wouldn't necessarily fix all of the Hammers' problems, but as well as a striker up front, Potter is clearly in need of legs in the middle if he's to have any success this season.

In other West Ham news, Jamie O'Hara and Jason Cundy clashed after the Irons' defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

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