As per 90min, West Ham United are interested in a move for PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ibrahim Sangare.
THE LOWDOWN: WEST HAM TARGET DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER
The Irons strengthened their midfield options in the summer, bringing in Lucas Paqueta for a fee of £51m and Flynn Downes from Swansea City for £12m, but the Hammers are still looking to improve their ranks, and are now targeting defensive midfielder Ibrahim Sangare from PSV.
THE LATEST: SCOUTING SANGARE
According to the report from 90min, manager David Moyes has sent scouts to the Netherlands in search of what could be a Declan Rice replacement, given the England international’s uncertain future, with the 24-year-old catching the eye of the Irons’ staff.
The £28.8m-rated man signed a new contract to keep him at PSV until 2027 back in August, but 90min sources indicate that he would still be open to a move to the Premier League if the right club came in for him.
THE VERDICT: GOOD BUSINESS
With Rice seemingly unwilling to sign a new contract amid interest in the midfielder from other clubs, it makes sense that the Irons would want to get a replacement in nice and early, and the Ivory Coast international is someone that ticks all the boxes.
Such is his quality, Dutch football analyst Aad de Mos gushed over the potential signing when he was linked to a move to Leicester back in April, saying:
“Ibrahim Sangare is better on one leg than Leicester’s midfield. He is extraordinary; this season, he has been the king of PSV. You only miss Sangare when he’s not playing.”
The 6 foot 2 powerhouse also has the statistics to back up this high praise, averaging a 7.24 match rating on WhoScored, setting a level of performance that places him inside the top 20 players in the entire Eredivisie.
As the 24-year-old would be expected to pitch in with a fair amount of defensive contributions, it is also vital that he excels in tackling, which is certainly the case, averaging 3.38 tackles per 90 minutes, in the top 6% of all players in his position in Europe’s big five leagues.