Winner named in race for West Ham United-linked Ismael Kone as total agreement reached
West Ham United have seemingly missed out on Ismael Kone after a “total agreement” has been made with Marseille, according to Santi Aouna.
The journalist took to X on 25 June and stated that the Watford midfielder turned down “bigger offers” from West Ham and Roma to choose a move move to Ligue 1.
Marseille used “all of its strategy” to ensure they signed Kone over their competition, Aouna added.
Why West Ham United wanted Ismael Kone within their ranks
Despite playing in the Championship last season, a plethora of teams were vying for the transfer of the Canada international.
The midfielder played a total of 46 games last term and managed to contribute to a total of seven goals across all competitions.
He’s a player who can play anywhere across the centre of the pitch and would’ve been an ideal addition to West Ham’s ranks.
Since the arrival of Julen Lopetegui, it was evident that the 2024/25 campaign was going to be one full of change.
The London-based club have already added Luis Guilherme to their ranks [The Athletic, 13 June] and are being linked with a plethora of talent.
Most recently, Lille striker Jonathan David has been linked with the club [Florian Plettenberg, 25 June] as they look to improve their attack for the upcoming season.
In addition, although Lucas Paqueta and Tomas Soucek both played key roles last term, Soucek is getting older and Paqueta and Edson Alvarez can’t be the only midfielder pulling their weight.
The addition of Kone would’ve added stability and helped improve the team’s defensive line tenfold.
Especially since the club are looking to make even more additions as the transfer window progresses.
In other West Ham news, Edson Alvarez has reacted to rumours linking him with a transfer away from the Hammers.
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