There is a new Belgian bun in the oven for hungry Hammers boss David Moyes after Amadou Onana radio silence from Lille.
That’s according to a report from Germany which claims West Ham want to sign Belgian midfielder Orel Mangala.
West Ham have hit a dead end in their recruitment this summer.
With the season just two weeks away and the injury to Nayef Aguerd, the Hammers have not signed a single player that will improve their starting XI on last season after Moyes made it clear Lukasz Fabianski will begin the campaign as number one goalkeeper.
One player Moyes hoped to have signed by now is Belgium international Onana.
In a whirlwind of positive transfer news at the start of the week, West Ham were said to be ‘increasingly confident’ of signing Onana (The Evening Standard).
The towering presence threatens to be one of the most dominant and powerful midfield forces in Europe.
West Ham saw their first two bids for Onana rejected by Lille and submitted a third of over £30m which remains on the table.
Now there is a new Belgian bun in the oven for hungry Moyes after Onana radio silence from Lille.
German sites Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Bild and Get German Football News claim West Ham want Onana’s compatriot and fellow central midfielder Mangala.
“Mangala wants to move to the Premier League but is currently in isolation after testing positive for Covid-19,” the reports state.
“A deal for the Belgian midfielder is expected to pick up speed this week.
“Should Mangala leave, Stuttgart want around €20m (£17m) with two-years remaining on his current deal. Since joining from Anderlecht in 2017 for €2m (£850k), the Belgian has played 109 games across all competitions, and had also spent the 2018/19 season on loan at Hamburg.”
Mangala has been likened to French midfield ace N’Golo Kante and it is easy to see why for those checking out his YouTube highlights reel.
The 24-year-old is much more diminutive than the giant 6ft 5in Onana.
But he looks a very effective and efficient operator.
The lack of response from the Ligue 1 side and West Ham’s failure to get any other signings over the line is seriously getting to Moyes.
The Scot is cutting a frustrated figure in pre-season as he admitted West Ham are struggling to get deals done for players.
An agitated Moyes fired a transfer ultimatum to the West Ham’s owners following the defeat to Rangers and is threatening big changes at the club.