Manchester City and West Ham United are tracking Quetin Merlin as a potential backup left-back option ahead of the January window.
According to 90 Min, Quentin Merlin continues to attract the interest of top Premier League sides ahead of the January window. Manchester City and West Ham United are among those keen on the left back, who’s had a consistent start to the season with Nantes.
Nantes aim to make themselves one of the progressive sides in Ligue 1. After a shaky start to the season, they have now won four of their last six Ligue 1 games to climb to seventh in the table, which affirms their strength in the league.
One of their promising performances has come from left-back Quentin Merlin, with the left-back putting in some consistent displays for Nantes. He might have only contributed to a single assist in ten Ligue 1 games, but the full-back continues to show enough promise to tempt some Premier League games to attempt.
Ahead of the January window, Nantes might brace themselves for offers from Premier League sides. Manchester City and West Ham United are among those looking at the 21-year-old French youth international as a potential addition to their squad.
Merlin might not come across as a player who would come into either team and oust their current first-choice left-back. Yet, he can prove a valuable backup option to those teams and still play plenty of minutes on those sides.
From a footballing perspective, he might prefer to stay at Nantes and play regularly before deciding next summer. However, the chance of signing for one of Manchester City or West Ham may come as a significant opportunity for the 21-year-old French youth international.
Hence, if one of those sides made a concerted effort, he might move on. Manchester City are looking at a few options for their left-back slot, and maybe with the view to replace Sergio Gomez. They are keen on Argentine Valentin Barco, among others.
Similarly, West Ham are looking for a new left-back as David Moyes wants another option. On a priority, the Hammers boss might look at a new centre-back, with AC Milan’s Malick Thiaw a potential target. However, that may not deter the Hammers from heading away from pursuing a new left-back and might target someone like Merlin.
For now, these clubs might keep monitoring Merlin’s progress until January before deciding on approaching. The 21-year-old French youth international may end up moving to English shores if one of these two clubs approaches, as all eyes will be on Nantes and their asking price.
