West Ham United want to sign Le Havre defender Etienne Youte Kinkoue ahead of Nottingham Forest
West Ham United want to sign Le Havre central defender Etienne Youte Kinkoue this summer after failing to get a deal done in January, according to Ed Aarons.
Writing on his personal X account (15 June), The Guardian journalist reports that the 22-year-old is interesting both the Hammers and Nottingham Forest as he enters the final 12 months of his contract at the Ligue 1 club.
West Ham wanted to sign the France youth international in a deadline-busting deal in January [The Sun, 30 January] but couldn’t agree a deal with Le Havre, but now look set to return for talks with Angelo Ogbonna having been released and question marks raised about the future of Kurt Zouma [TeamTalk, 11 June] and Nayef Aguerd [Hakim Zhouri, 11 May].
Do West Ham United need defensive strengthening?
The summer transfer window is going to be a busy one in east London for the Hammers, with Julen Lopetegui looking to put his stamp on the squad and plenty of strengthening needed.
But while Zouma’s form was hot and cold last season and Aguerd has struggled over the last 18 months after an initially strong start to his career at the club, it’s possible the club may be overreacting.
Prior to this campaign Zouma has been sensational since joining from Chelsea and was appointed as the captain after Declan Rice’s exit, while Aguerd’s quality has been clear at times too at the highest level with the World Cup with Morocco.
Kinkoue is a talented young player and could be available for a relatively cheap fee considering his contract situation, and with Ogbonna having already left the club it would provide a solid depth option.
But if West Ham want to raise the floor of the squad rather than the ceiling, then they need to target players more first-team ready and more established to step into the starting lineup for the 2024/25 season.
In other West Ham news, Jose Mourinho wants to hijack Julen Lopetegui’s chase for a new attacker.
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