West Ham boss David Moyes and Newcastle’s Eddie Howe have been blown out of the water by an overnight bid for target Azzedine Ounahi.
West Ham are battling Newcastle for the signing of Morocco World Cup star Ounahi ahead of the January transfer window.
According to a report from 90Min, the Hammers and Newcastle are set for yet another transfer tussle having spent most of the summer fighting one another for players.
Ounahi, 22, seriously caught the eye with his performances for Morocco at the World Cup.
So it should come as no surprise that Moyes and Howe are not the only clubs interested in the wiry Angers central midfielder this winter.
90Min claims Newcastle and West Ham are both keen to sign Ounahi in a bid to strengthen their central midfields.
Money shouldn’t be an issue for the Magpies.
But after a £170m summer spend, the same cannot be said for the Hammers.
Now West Ham boss Moyes and Newcastle’s Howe have been blown out of the water by an overnight bid for target Ounahi from a Premier League rival.
L’Équipe reported last night that Leicester have moved to try and steal a march on West Ham and Newcastle by tabling a huge £39m bid for Ounahi.
It was not long ago the Foxes were rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table with just one point.
But a return to form and 2-0 victory over West Ham before the break saw Brendan Rodgers’ side leapfrog the Hammers.
Now they want to build on their resurgence by bringing Nayef Aguerd’s Morocco teammate to the Premier League ahead of Moyes and the Geordies.
According to L’Équipe sources – as also reported by Get French Football News – Leicester placed their bid as high as €45m (£39m) in a clear show of intent.
And the reports state that Angers, currently lying rock bottom of Ligue 1, are unlikely to turn down such a lucrative offer.
The only positive for West Ham and Newcastle is that while Leicester have made the mammoth offer, Angers club management has confirmed it has not yet received the bid in concrete form, although that is ‘expected imminently’.
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