Mohamadou Kante is yet to start a league match for West Ham United. There is a good chance of that changing, though, when Nuno Espirito Santo raises the Championship curtain away to Burnley on August 16th.
Presuming that the £500,000 acquisition from Paris FC is still a Hammers player by then, of course.
And we say ‘presuming’ because, as things stand, there is little reason to fear the opposite. Yes, there is interest in Mohamadou Kante. Monaco, Marseille and Fiorentina are reported admirers.
Take a look at West Ham’s ins and outs this summer – What deal stands out most to you?
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Yes, West Ham United reportedly set an asking price of £20 million following relegation, per The Athletic.
If said price-tag is met, a £19.5 million profit on a midfielder with only 67 minutes of league football under his belt would represent a fine bit of business from a financial perspective, if not so much a sporting one.
But in an ideal world, instead Kante will blossom into the Patrick Vieira-type midfield powerhouse many have tipped him to become while helping the Hammers achieve their ambitions of an immediate return to the top-flight.
Fiorentina move away from West Ham United’s Mohamadou Kante
Of the three clubs linked, Fiorentina appeared the most serious. According to La Nazione, sporting director Fabio Paratici is a big fan of the Paris-born prospect.
But as 2006 World Cup hero Fabio Grosso was presented as the new head coach of La Viola on Thursday, much of the conversation was taken up by other midfielders. Those Fiorentina are about to sign, and those they plan to keep.
Fiorentina are expected to pay an initial fee of £21 million for Udinese schemer Arthur Atta, as part of an overall £34 million package. Atta thrived under Grosso at Sassuolo last season. Kristian Thorstvedt could make the trip from the Mapei Stadium to the Artemio Franchi, too, for a further £13 million.
Grosso also confirmed his desire to retain Nicolo Fagioli; the stylish seven-time Italy international.
Fiorentina’s midfield next season, with Grosso favouring a 4-3-3 formation, looks likely to be a triumvirate of Atta, Thorstvedt and Fagioli.
If Thorstvedt arrives in the coming days, that will take La Viola’s midfield spend to £44 million including the permanent signing of Marco Brescianini. Fiorentina are not exactly purple-shirted paupers, but the idea of spending a further £20 million on Kante seems fanciful indeed.
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Monaco and Marseille cannot afford Kante right now
Over in France, crisis-ridden Marseille have seen their spending heavily restricted after falling foul of the French financial watchdog, DNCG. There are unlikely to be any signings in excess of £20 million at the Stade Velodrome for the time being.
And while Kante is a very Monaco type of signing, CEO Thiago Scuro used the presentation of new coach Filipe Luis to highlight the pressing need to reduce their wage bill first and foremost. Monaco are also under pressure from the DNCG.
Kante may have been identified as a possible replacement for Lamine Camara but, after a less-than convincing World Cup with Senegal, interest appears to have waned.
“Profiles like [Folarin] Balogun, [Maghnes] Akliouche and Camara are of interest,” Scuro said. “If we reach an agreement that suits Monaco, it can happen very quickly. Otherwise, nothing will happen.”
Kante, then, will almost certainly be in contention for a starting role when West Ham make that trip to Lancashire in five weeks’ time. Considering that Hammers News’ Talking Point users predicted that Kante would be the breakout star of 2026/27, this should come as a relief.
After Daniel Kretinsky injected £90 million into the coffers and after Tottenham spend £85 million on Mateus Fernandes, the Hammers are no longer facing the same immediate pressure to raise funds anyway.
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