West Ham deal now 'so complex' after earlier breakthrough at London Stadium | OneFootball

West Ham United have been hit by another setback in the race to sign Lille midfielder Amadou Onana this summer, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

David Moyes has strengthened his Hammers side this summer at the London Stadium but there is still time to add further reinforcements ahead of the September 1 deadline

What is the latest news on Onana?

West Ham have already added four new faces to their first team ahead of the new campaign, spending over £80 million in the process, but Onana has been identified as their next target.

The talented 20-year-old has seemingly been approached  to add more depth to West Ham’s midfield during the 2022-23 campaign but they are facing competition for his signature.

It was reported by the Guardian on Wednesday that Europa League semi-finalists had seen a bid of  up to £33.5 million accepted by the Ligue 1 side with Moyes looking to build a squad that can finish inside the top six.

However, the same publication reported a day later that Premier League rivals Everton were attempting to hijack the deal and had matched the east Londoners’ offer. The report also states that Onana would favour a move to Frank Lampard’s side too.

Despite fees being agreed, it appears to be a transfer that has a long way to go just yet.

What has Jones said on the race for Onana?

Jones understands that the race for the midfielder is becoming more and more complicated with each passing day, with conflicting reports emerging all the time.

The transfer insider says that the latest he had heard was that there had been another setback and that the player’s representatives may be playing a bit of a game.

Jones told GIVEMSPORT: “I think, actually, that the deal for Onana is becoming so complex that even when it’s suddenly reported that they’ve made a breakthrough, and they’re on the verge of agreeing a fee, at the same time you hear from other sources at West Ham that actually it’s not as far along and that there’s been another setback.

“I don’t know if, at this point, it’s just that they’re trying to drag out every pound and Euro that they can get for Onana.”

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Do West Ham need to sign Onana this summer?

Whether it is the Belgium international or not, it is easy to see why Moyes is looking to bolster his midfield this summer.

As things stand, Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek remain the club’s only two specialist central midfielders, with Alex Kral returning to Spartak Moscow and Mark Noble retiring.

If West Ham were to secure the signing of Onana for £33.5 million, he would arrive with plenty of sell-on potential being only 20 years old.

It may also ease the pain if Rice were to be sold in the coming transfer windows, with a potentially ready-made replacement to step in.