Noel Aseko is keeping all his options open as West Ham United reportedly eye up a deal that would see the Bayern Munich youngster leave the Bundesliga giants for the Premier League.
The Hammers are reportedly in the market for a young central midfielder this summer. Links with Flamengo’s ‘new Casemiro’ Evertton Araujo emerged from Brazil, while Torino’s ex-Chelsea prospect Cesare Casadei feels very much like a Tomas Soucek successor.
Noel Aseko is another allegedly in the frame at West Ham United.
Is the next Casemiro coming to West Ham? 🇧🇷
What do you want from a new midfield signing?
German site Transfermarkt reported in February that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have ‘made their presence felt’ regarding the Hannover loanee.
Bayern Munich starlet Noel Aseko speaks after West Ham United links
Now, speaking to Bild about his future amid links with West Ham, Villarreal, Galatasaray and Brighton and Hove Albion, the Berlin-born 20-year-old insists that he has not yet made a decision about what the immediate future holds.
“Every player dreams of playing for the best at some point. Of course, I’m regularly in contact and in discussions with the people at Bayern and Hannover,” Aseko says.
“But I don’t focus on [my future]. I only focus on the games. Otherwise, my head is too full with other things. I’m not planning for the next few weeks yet.
“I don’t want to rule anything out and want to keep all doors open for now. I could also imagine playing another year in the Bundesliga.2!”
“I spoke once with [Bayern sporting director] Christoph Freund. He’s proud of my development and told me to keep pushing and not let up.”
Aseko is ‘very similar’ to Chelsea hero N’Golo Kante
A five-time Germany Under-21 international, Aseko joined Bayern’s academy in 2022 from hometown club Hertha Berlin.
The prospects of an extended stay at second-tier Hannover look slim. The Lower Saxony outfit have a one million euro purchase clause in Aseko’s contract, but Bayern can cancel that by paying a buy-back fee of £2 million.
Considering the uncertainty surrounding Leon Goretzka, it cannot be ruled out that Aseko returns to the Allianz Arena to follow in the footsteps of Aleksander Pavlovic; the 21-year-old who has blossomed into an indispensable part of the Bayern engine room.
Kante has made his mark! 🇫🇷
But should Nuno trust the youngster to start vs Man City?
Aseko has often been likened to N’Golo Kante. He himself admits the France, Leicester and Chelsea legend is a personal icon. Despite his admiration for one of the great ball-winners of the era, Aseko has produced three goals and five assists in 22 Bundesliga.2 starts for Hannover.
“[Kante] is my role model. I like to look up to him because his playing style is very similar to mine,” he told the DFB website in October.
“[But] I’ve always been able to create goalscoring opportunities. I grew up in Berlin and played a lot in the indoor football cages there. You learn everything there, including attacking play, and I’ve never forgotten how to do that.
“Everyone has sporting goals. For me personally, though, it’s especially important right now to develop into an established player.”
Speaking of the 2018 World Cup winner, N’Golo’s namesake Mohamadou Kante is making his mark at West Ham these days.
The 20-year-old Parisien made only his second senior start against Brentford in the FA Cup but, such is the physicality and athleticism he brings to the table, a third may be on the cards with Manchester City to come on Sunday.
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