West Ham United are leading the race to sign FC Utrecht left back Souffian El Karouani, the club says Ekrem Konur.
After failing to secure a win in six consecutive Premier League games, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are now at serious risk of losing safety.
That worrying run was extended on Saturday by a heavy 3-0 defeat at Manchester City. This result further exposed the depth of the challenges Nuno faces as the Hammers approach Christmas, rooted in the bottom three.
At the Etihad Stadium, Erling Stadium had two successes, while Tijjani Reijnders also found the net as City comfortably defeated West Ha.
With the second half of the season approaching, the club are looking to strengthen their squad, especially at the back, after conceding 35 goals, as preparations begin for a crucial battle to retain their top-flight status.
West Ham has now set its sights on highly-rated Utrecht left-back El Karouan, the club said Womenwho claims the 25-year-old is attracting interest from several clubs across Europe, including the Hammers.
It appears the Hammers are looking to steal a march on their rivals as the journalist adds that the east London side are now ‘leading the race’ to sign the Dutch-born Moroccan international ahead of other interested clubs.
El Karouani is West Ham
West Ham will now have to step up their efforts to complete the deal for El Karouani, who he values at £13 million. Transfer marketThe report shows that several clubs, including Marseille, FC Porto, PSV Eindhoven, AZ Alkmaar, Ajax, Brighton, Fulham, Hoffenheim, Eintracht Frankfurt, Napoli and Lazio, are also keen on the left back.
El Karouani himself may have already agreed to a move to the London Stadium, following his post-match interview with RTV Utrecht after Utrecht’s 2-1 defeat against PSV on Sunday.
When asked about the Hammers, he said: ‘That could very well be the case. It’s a great club. My agent works for me. I’ll wait. By the way, I look back on a wonderful year in Utrecht.’
With three goals and 15 assists in all competitions for Ron Jans’ side this season, El Karouani possesses qualities that would be crucial to West Ham’s defensive solidity and attacking threat if he were to join.
With his contract at the Galgenwaard Stadium entering its final year, the Hammers could be in a position to secure a reduced-fee transfer to bring the full-back to the London Stadium.
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