West Ham fell short with €17m deadline day offer for Southampton target
West Ham saw a deadline day bid for Strasbourg defender Mohamed Simakan rejected, according to reports in France.
The Hammers were in the market for a new centre-back to provide competition for Issa Diop, Angelo Ogbonna and Fabian Balbuena all summer. However, they failed to get any deal over the line before the deadline.
There is still a chance that West Ham will be able to add a new defender next week, before the deadline for Premier League clubs and EFL clubs to do business with each other. They have been linked with Watford’s Craig Dawson, for example.
Now, it has emerged that they could have got their hands on a Ligue 1 prospect. According to Le10 Sport (via Sport Witness), West Ham made a bid on deadline day.
The Premier League side put €17m on the table. However, Strasbourg were holding out for at least €20m.
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Le10 Sport add that Southampton also made an offer for the 20-year-old, but also did not meet Strasbourg’s valuation. The same went for AC Milan, who only offered €15m.
The defender, who can also play as a right-back, remains under contract with Strasbourg until 2023. He has been ever-present in their first six games of the new Ligue 1 season.
Simakan has also attracted interest from bigger French clubs such as Monaco and Rennes. However, Strasbourg – who were 10th in the table last season before the campaign drew to a halt – have managed to keep hold of him for the immediate future.
West Ham prepare new Rice deal
One player who could provide cover at centre-back if needed for West Ham is midfielder Declan Rice.
The England international was a target for Chelsea over the summer, but the Hammers held firm to keep Rice at the London Stadium.
Now, reports claim they are exploring the possibility of giving a new contract to their star player.