West Ham United face competition from Leeds United in the race to sign a seriously talented young player in the January window.
Nuno Espirito Santo has already been busy in the January window, having brought Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe to West Ham.
However, the next step for Nuno will be to sign a top-class centre-back, and he has someone very special in mind.
The problem is that Leeds are in the race for his signature as well.
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The Hammers’ leaky backline has shipped more goals in the Premier League than any other club this season.
So, getting the addition of an elite centre-back over the line before the January transfer window slams shut will be crucial for them.
West Ham battle Leeds to sign player with ‘world-class potential’
One of the continent’s most talented young centre-backs could be Premier League-bound in January, it seems.
According to a report from Quotidiano Sportivo, West Ham are battling Leeds United in the race to sign El Chadaille Bitshiabu in the January transfer window.
The Hammers’ need for a new central defender has been well-documented already this month.
And Leeds boss Daniel Farke is clearly keen to bolster his defensive ranks at Elland Road as well.
Described by Football Talent Scout as a player with ‘world-class potential’, the 20-year-old RB Leipzig star really does have the world at his feet.
However, he just hasn’t played regularly enough in Germany this season.
Incredibly, he has only played three games for Leipzig in the Bundesliga this season, for a total of 111 minutes.
Bitshiabu would be superb for West Ham
Standing at 6ft 5in tall, Bitshiabu is incredibly dominant in the air but he also possesses impressive pace for such a big man.
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He’s strong in the tackle and is a very accomplished passer of the football.
His only real weaknesses are his questionable positioning and his lack of awareness when it comes to reading the game.
Bitshiabu is only 20, though. The more experienced he gets, the better he will become at reading the game.
The older he gets, the less he will get caught out of position.
It goes without saying that the young Frenchman would be a big upgrade on Max Kilman and Konstantinos Mavropanos.
If West Ham manage to sign Bitshiabu, he will be a great addition for them, but Leeds chasing his signature as well will certainly be somewhat of an inconvenience for the Hammers.
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