West Ham United considering move for Amadou Onana

West Ham United are reportedly interested in signing Lille’s young defensive midfielder Amadou Onana in the summer.

According to reports by The Sun, West Ham United manager David Moyes scouted Amadou Onana during Lille’s UEFA Champions League clash against Chelsea. To that end, the Hammers are believed to be interested in a summer move for the 20-year-old, valued at around £20 million by the Ligue 1 champions.

The defensive midfielder moved to the defending Ligue 1 champions in the 2021 summer transfer window, joining them in a small-money move from Hamburger SV. The Hoffenheim youth product had joined Hamburger in 2020 and impressed in the German second division.

Onana has looked at ease in his first-ever season of top-flight football. He has made 30 appearances across competitions for Lille this season, playing majorly from the defensive midfield position. His two goals have come when he has been stationed higher up the pitch.

Even though the youngster has impressed for the Ligue 1 side this season, Lille will be willing to sell him for a fee of around £20 million, the report states. The Hammers have the budget required to complete the signing, which they want to complete quickly before his performances catch the eye of bigger European clubs.

West Ham are lining up £20m transfer swoop for Lille wonderkid Amadou Onana who is just 20 years old. [The Sun] pic.twitter.com/BxA0KCAJRS

— West Ham Transfers (@westhamtransfer) March 6, 2022

The London-based club could lose Declan Rice, with multiple Premier League clubs interested in his signing. Manchester United and Chelsea are believed to be the front-runners for the English midfielder’s signature.

This is also Mark Noble’s final season as a West Ham player, and a defensive-midfield signing is thus a priority for them. So signing Onana makes perfect sense for the Hammers, who would want to continue fighting for European football in the seasons to follow as well.

With Moyes watching the midfielder’s outing against Chelsea last month, this is a signing West Ham could complete come the summer window. Whether they manage to successfully complete a £20 million move for the young midfielder remains to be seen.