West Ham, Newcastle in battle for revitalised Prem midfielder rated at £7m
Mario Lemina is wanted by West Ham and Newcastle after his loan spell with Fulham, according to a report.
Lemina joined Fulham for the 2020-21 season on loan from Southampton. After spending the previous campaign at Galatasaray, it marked a return to English football. It looks like it will end in relegation for Lemina but he has done relatively well on an individual basis.
Therefore, he is attracting interest for a permanent transfer away from Southampton. It seems Fulham would struggle to complete the deal if they went down, but Lemina has two Premier League suitors.
According to the Guardian, West Ham and Newcastle are considering moves for the Gabon international. Both clubs have apparently made contact with his representatives.
Southampton want £7m for the midfielder, who still has a contract with them until 2022. They have little intention of re-integrating him for the final year of that deal, so will look to sell.
Letting him go for that fee would represent a significant loss on their once-record signing. He cost them more than £15m in 2017 but now they want him off the books.
West Ham could offer him the chance to stay in London after his spell with Fulham. Alternatively, he could head north for Newcastle.
After managing 25 appearances in the Premier League this season, Lemina seems to have taken his second chance in England. At the age of 27, he will now be keen to find a permanent home.
West Ham hunt Saints striker
It seems West Ham could consider a double swoop on Southampton, as they have also been linked with striker Danny Ings.
Ings is out of contact in 2022, meaning Southampton risk losing him for nothing from January. That is not something they want to consider and the best time to recoup a decent fee would be this summer.
A report on talkSPORT adds that Ings actually has a gentleman’s agreement to leave Southampton this summer, but only for Manchester City and Manchester United and not any other clubs.
He would not have guaranteed playing time there, but it would be different at West Ham, who need a striker after not replacing Sebastien Haller in January.
Moyes wanted to sign Ings during his time in charge at Real Sociedad back in 2015. He remains a huge admirer of his talents and would love to strike a deal.
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