West Ham Makes £17 Million Offer for France U21 Midfielder

West Ham United has submitted a bid of approximately £17 million, including add-ons, for Monaco’s Soungoutou Magassa. The 21-year-old versatile midfielder has also garnered interest from Nottingham Forest earlier this transfer window.

Primarily a holding midfielder, Magassa can also operate as a box-to-box midfielder or as a centre-back. Last season, he started 16 games for Monaco and played in the Champions League, gaining experience against top European teams.

Magassa is part of France’s youth setup and represented France at the Olympics last summer, coming off the bench in the final, which France lost 5-3 to Spain after extra time. He has previously played for France’s U20 and U21 teams, enhancing his international reputation.

West Ham has been exploring several options to strengthen their midfield, with approaches made for multiple players. They are close to a deal for Fenerbahçe to take Edson Álvarez on loan and are also interested in Guido Rodríguez for Espanyol. Their attempts to sign Southampton’s Mateus Fernandes and Barcelona’s Marc Casado have been unsuccessful so far.

The club continues to evaluate other talents across Europe, including Rennes’ Djaoui Cisse, Werder Bremen’s Romano Schmid, Feyenoord’s Quinten Timber, and Ajax’s Kenneth Taylor, as they aim to bolster their squad before the transfer deadline.