West Ham handed new boost over Ezechiel Banzuzi as summer transfer battle looms | OneFootball

Hammers tried to sign Belgium-based star in January and are expected to renew their interest

West Ham transfer target Ezechiel Banzuzi is expected to leave Belgian club OH Leuven this summer.

The Hammers tried to sign the 20-year-old in January and remain one of a number of sides interested in him.

More than half-a-dozen clubs enquired about his availability in January, with West Ham and Monaco entering into negotiations with the Leuven board and Banzuzi’s representatives.

However, an agreement with either club could not be reached. Internally, Leuven placed a valuation of €15million (£12.6m) on the midfielder.

Standard Sport understands that West Ham are among a host of clubs still tracking Banzuzi ahead of a potential swoop in the summer window, when Leuven are braced to lose him if an interested party offers a sufficient fee.

He has three goals and six assists in 30 appearances for the Belgian Pro League side so far this season. Banzuzi’s performances in two seasons with Dutch side NAC Breda earned him the move to Leuven in June 2023.

He has since nailed down a starting berth in a year-and-a-half with Leuven, where he is deployed either on the left of a midfield three or in a double pivot.

Banzuzi is under contract at Leuven until June 2026 and is currently on international duty with the Netherlands Under-21s, who face Italy and Romania in friendlies over the next five days.