West Ham United have offered Cheikhou Kouyate to Porto in an attempt to sign striker Moussa Marega, according to the Mirror.
The newspaper report that Crystal Palace have submitted a £10million bid for the Senegal international and believe he would like to join them, but the Hammers are instead attempting to send the first-team stalwart to the Primeira Liga champions.
The Mirror claim that Palace are however likely to sign Hammers winger Michail Antonio, with a £15million deal ‘in the pipeline.’
Powerful striker Marega scored 23 goals and provided eight assists in 40 games in all competitions last season as Porto won the Portuguese top-flight and qualified for the Champions League in the process.
OPINION
West Ham are clearly attempting to influence Kouyate’s exit to their own advantage, and rightly so. Signing Marega in a potential swap deal would be perfect for the club, with manager Manuel Pellegrini known to be on the hunt for another forward before the season begins following Andy Carroll’s injury. The Mali international would be a statement signing from the Hammers, who have been linked with players of a lower profile during their final push in the window. Obviously there is another reason behind their attempts to ship Kouyate off to Porto, being that they do not want to strengthen their rivals. Kouyate is a brilliant player and has been a good servant to the Irons for several years now, and he would undoubtedly do the same for Palace. West Ham are looking to avoid a situation where that happens, and it will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
