West Ham United are in a two-team Premier League battle for French starlet Davis Abanda, according to L’Equipe.
The French publication claims that the Hammers are interested in the 18-year-old, who plays for AC Ajaccio, but that Crystal Palace are also taking a look at him.
The Frenchman is an attacking midfielder, whose twin brother plays for Italian giants AC Milan. He has just one year left on his current contract with Olivier Pantaloni’s side.
However, Palace are thought to be in the driving seat at this stage.
OPINION
This would be a bit of an exciting signing for West Ham, although not in the short-term. This would very much be a signing for the future, not one that would pay dividends quickly. However, you always have to be on the lookout for the next top talent, and Abanda would appear to fit that bill. He’s just 18 years of age, so he’s far from the finished product, but he’s someone who certainly has the ability to go on and make an impact in the West Ham first team in the years to come. Obviously Palace are going to provide stiff competition, and are apparently leading the chase at the moment. They want him as well so this isn’t a straight forward deal for the Hammers to do. However, you’d think that Manuel Pellegrini’s side might be able to out-bid their London rivals if they really want to. This has the look of the deal for striker Xande Silva from a year ago, and that has already looked like a decent little deal. Perhaps this could be the next one.
