West Ham United have reportedly shifted their focus towards Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners after missing out on Amadou Onana.
According to Italian publication Calcio Atalanta, West Ham United have made an enquiry for Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners as David Moyes seeks to further reinforce his options in the centre of the park.
West Ham United have already signed a new midfielder this summer, bringing in Flynn Downes from Swansea City. However, the Hammers remain keen on adding another body in their midfield department, having lost Mark Noble and Alex Kral this summer. Given that they will be competing in the UEFA Europa Conference League while pushing for a top-six finish in the Premier League, squad depth will be key.
To that end, West Ham put in serious efforts to try and sign Amadou Onana from LOSC Lille. However, the deal fell through as the Belgian prospect is signing for Everton, leaving the east London outfit on the lookout for other options in the market.
West Ham United showed an interest in PSV Eindhoven’s Ibrahim Sangare, but the midfielder has signed a new long-term contract with the Dutch club. Hence, they have now turned their focus towards Atalanta’s Dutch midfielder Teun Koopmeiners.
Koopmeiners joined Atalanta from boyhood club AZ Alkmaar after making close to 150 appearances for the Eredivisie outfit. The 24-year-old enjoyed a solid debut campaign in Italy, as he made 43 appearances for La Dea in 2021/22, scoring and assisting four goals apiece across all competitions.
Koopmeiners, who has nine caps for the Netherlands national team, is versatile enough to play in several roles in the middle of the park, bet it as a defensive midfielder or a No. 8 or even as a No. 10. His age, versatility and experience have seemingly made the Dutchman an attractive prospect for West Ham United, who have now made an enquiry with Atalanta to check his availability this summer.
However, Atalanta are reluctant to let go of Koopmeiners at this stage in the transfer window with just 20 days left. Furthermore, they are also staring at the prospect of Remo Freuler departing this summer and sanctioning an exit for Koopmeiners at the same time would weaken their midfield considerably.
So, the chances of West Ham signing Koopmeiners appear slim unless they come up with a huge offer that the Serie A giants find impossible to turn down.