West Ham United ‘eye Koni de Winter’ in win-win transfer race
West Ham United have turned their focus to Genoa defender Koni de Winter as they aim to strengthen at the back ahead of next season.
Despite West Ham shelling out north of £50million on defenders alone in last summer’s transfer window – with further outlays already in the pipeline – they have conceded 47 Premier League goals this term.
That number after just 27 matches is the fifth-highest of any side in the Premier League, with no side sat above the 15th-placed Hammers conceding more often and those with more all mired in the bottom four.
As a result, and with Jean-Clair Todibo’s loan move from OGC Nice set to become permanent once the next window opens, Graham Potter and the Irons hierarchy are on the hunt for defensive reinforcements.
West Ham big fans of De Winter transfer
West Ham brought in the likes of Max Kilman and Aaron Wan-Bissaka for significant fees last summer alongside loaning Todibo, yet Wan-Bissaka is arguably the only new signing who has really impressed.
| Player | Signed from | Transfer fee | Appearances |
| Max Kilman | Wolves | £40million | 29 |
| Aaron Wan-Bissaka | Manchester United | £15m | 27 |
| Jean-Clair Todibo | OGC Nice | Loan (with option to buy) | 18 |
As a result, the Irons are looking at bringing in Genoa centre-back Koni de Winter in the coming transfer window, with TuttoJuve journalist Mirko di Natale reporting their interest in the Belgian on 2 March.
The Hammers like De Winter “a lot” and are the only Premier League side in for the 22-year-old alongside the two Milan clubs, with AC Milan seeing him as a potential replacement for Fikayo Tomori.
‼️ESCL.
— Mirko Di Natale (@_Morik92_) March 2, 2025
L’#Inter è tra i club che ha chiesto informazioni nelle ultime settimane per Koni #DeWinter.
✅ Il #Milan resta ancora interessato (a gennaio era più che un’idea per sostituire Tomori), così come la #Roma in Italia. In Premier League piace molto al #WestHam (#WHUFC). pic.twitter.com/Je3bigPa1S
De Winter transfer race a win-win for West Ham
The Premier League’s financial might compared to Serie A – let alone any other European league – is well known, and was put into perspective when West Ham beat Juventus to Todibo’s signature last summer.
De Winter, however, appears to have his pick of clubs come the end of the season, and while Todibo has arguably been made to regret opting for East London over Turin, the Belgian may choose to stay in Italy.
Should the once-capped Belgium international move to AC Milan, however, it could open the door for West Ham to still bring in a top central defensive target – in the form of England international Tomori.
Out of favour at San Siro, Tomori has the Irons amongst several suitors keen on bringing the ex-Chelsea man back to the Premier League, and missing out on De Winter could facilitate West Ham swooping back in for the 27-year-old.