West Ham United are reportedly ‘keen’ on signing French defender Oumar Solet immediately, as per the transfer journalist Graeme Bailey.
After appointing Julen Lopetegui as the new manager to succeed David Moyes, the Hammers were very busy this summer to reinforce the squad and hand the Spanish boss the necessary tools to achieve success this season.
They eventually made nine new additions and signed Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jean-Clair Todibo and Max Kilman to strengthen the backline. However, it appears the East London club are now looking to add more firepower at the back.
Reporting on HITC, Bailey has stated that after Red Bull Salzburg decided to terminate Solet’s contract on Saturday, the 24-year-old has now become a free agent and the Hammers are ‘keen’ on signing him by taking advantage of his current situation.
However, the journalist says Nottingham Forest, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa have also expressed their interest in signing him and additionally, Olympique de Marseille and Inter Milan are in this race as well. So, it won’t be easy for West Ham to broker a deal for Solet.
Solet to West Ham
Moreover, Bailey says Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United registered their interest in him this summer and it now remains to be seen whether they eventually opt to revive their interest.
The 24-year-old, standing at 6ft 3in tall, is a right-footed centre-back. He is strong and is efficient in defensive contributions moreover, he is good in the air and can play out from the back.
The Frenchman is still young and can be an excellent acquisition for West Ham with a view to the long-term future if they purchase him. Lopetegui currently has Kilman, Todibo and Konstantinos Mavropanos as the centre-back options so, the East London club could do with adding a new defender.
Meanwhile, West Ham have had a disappointing start to this season under Lopetegui as they have won only one out of four games thus far in the Premier League.
They will now face off against Chelsea in the league next weekend before taking on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup so a difficult couple of fixtures lie ahead for West Ham.
