Speaking recently on the Ask Ornstein YouTube show, David Ornstein discussed a number of current transfer rumours including West Ham United’s link with Saint-Etienne defender Wesley Fofana.
Making his Saint-Etienne debut in May of last year, Fofana has gone on to feature 30 times for the Ligue 1 side, chipping in with two goals along the way.
The £9 million-rated 19-year-old impressed for the club last season, averaging 1.8 tackles, 2.6 interceptions and 3.7 clearances per game over his 14 league appearances, culminating in a WhoScored match rating of 6.80 – ranking him as the club’s fifth-best performer in Ligue 1.
The centre-back has also performed well over the start of the new French season, averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.07 over his four appearances in the league thus far.
As a result of these impressive displays, Fofana has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs over the summer transfer window, with West Ham and Leicester City both reported to be keen on bringing the 19-year-old to England.
However, in a recent episode of the Ask Ornstein YouTube show, Ornstein claimed that the Hammers now appear to be out of the race to sign the Frenchman.
He said: “[Leicester have] been heavily linked with Wesley Fofana – he is one of their options, but they won’t be held to ransom by the French club.
“Similarly, with James Tarkowski of Burnley, they’re looking for around £50 million, so that will not be easy.
“There were suggestions that West Ham were rivalling Leicester [for the signing of Fofana], but a contact has told me that West Ham are not in the race.”
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TIF Thoughts…
From Ornstein’s comments, it is clear that the journalist is of the belief that David Moyes’ side is no longer competing for the signature of Fofana.
With just a matter of days remaining of the summer transfer window, the club does not have long to get any potential deals over the line.
So, if they are to rekindle their interest in one of their other defensive targets, such as Tarkowski, who is, coincidentally, also a target of Leicester, then they will have to do so quickly.