West Ham United receive reply to verbal offer for N’Golo Kante
West Ham had a £15million “verbal” transfer offer for N’Golo Kante rejected by the midfielder’s club Al-Ittihad, according to David Ornstein.
Writing in The Athletic on 19 July, Ornstein reported that the day prior, the Irons discussed a £15million move for the French international, but were told that the Saudi side have no intention of selling Kante.
Al-Ittihad will reportedly not consider the possibility of letting the 33-year-old leave the club this summer for anything less than £25million, with any proposal likely needing to be north of that figure.
Kante is said to be happy plying his trade in Saudi Arabia at present, and after impressing for France at Euro 2024, will re-join Al-Ittihad’s pre-season training camp in the coming days [L’Equipe, 19 July].
N’Golo Kante transfer could be transformative for West Ham
Any questions over Kante’s ability to still excel at the top level were surely put to bed by his performances at Euro 2024, starting all six of France’s matches on their run to the semi-finals.
The 33-year-old has only been playing in the Middle East for a season following his move from Chelsea last summer, and thus a return to London could still reap significant benefits for the Hammers.
Julen Lopetegui’s side are certainly not short of defensive midfielders heading into the new campaign, but Kante would offer a completely different option to the likes of Tomas Soucek and Edson Alvarez.
With the latter having picked up an injury during his international duties for Mexico, slotting a player of Kante’s calibre into the Irons’ starting XI could be crucial for marking a strong start to the new season.
Shelling out a fee of £25million and above for a 33-year-old may be a stretch too far for the Hammers this summer, but Lopetegui’s early tenure has shown he’s not afraid to push for big-money transfers.
In other West Ham news, a Premier League forward is close to sealing a £37million move to the London Stadium.
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