According to Sky Sources, West Ham are leading the chase for Lyon Centre Back Samuel Umtiti.
The 22 year old has been watched by Barcelona, PSG, Spurs and Chelsea this season, but Sky believe that Slaven Bilic’s side are the favourites to land the highly sought after defender at the moment.
So how much would Umtiti cost?
The defender is currently going to Euro 2016 with France, and could find himself in with a chance of starting if he impresses before the tournament. Bilic would need to finalise any deal before Euro 2016 kicks off, because if Umtiti features for France his price tag would go through the roof after any significant performance.
Umtiti at the moment could cost around £15-20 million, which is expensive for a centre back, but he could have 10 years at the top level, and would likely be worth more than this after a few years.
Can we afford him?
If Reece Oxford leaves the club, it would be no surprise to see him replaced with someone similar. Using the £10-15 million that is currently being reported from Oxford’s move could fund a deal for Samuel Umtiti, but it remains to be seen if Oxford actually does leave the club this summer. Central defence isn’t a priority for us this summer, but a player of Umtiti’s potential would be hard to refuse.
Would he join West Ham?
This could be a stumbling block in the deal. Champions League is a massive attraction for players, and with so many big clubs circling around Umtiti, it would be a massive coup if we could secure a deal for the defender.
We will have to wait and see if there is any progress in the deal, but at the moment it seems unlikely that he would join us.
