While Real Madrid and Liverpool have already launched raids on Andoni Iraola’s AFC Bournemouth outfit, West Ham United are also sniffing around one of last season’s Premier League overachievers.
Victims of their own success, perhaps, Bournemouth have lost Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid in the early weeks of the summer window. Liverpool are closing in on Milos Kerkez too, their all-action Hungarian left-back.
And, as some West Ham supporters urge an approach for Kepa Arrizabalaga, the goalkeeper who kick-started his ailing career on loan at the Vitality Stadium appears set to earn himself a fresh start at Arsenal.
Amid reports claiming Tottenham want Antoine Semenyo and PSG are interested in Ilya Zabarnyi, West Ham United’s alleged interest in two more Bournemouth players has gone under the radar somewhat.
Hammers News understands that West Ham are targeting Marcus Tavernier. Often underrated but never undervalued behind the scenes at Bournemouth, the prodigiously hard-working and occasionally wondergoal-scoring Tavernier has been lined up by a Hammers side who may be robbed of Mohammed Kudus’ and Lucas Paqueta’s creativity in the weeks to come.
Over in Italy, meanwhile, a midweek update provides further clarity amid claims that West Ham could offer Hamed Junior Traore a new beginning at the London Stadium.
Bournemouth loanee Hamed Traore celebrates during Auxerre clash - FBL-FRA-LIGUE1-AUXERRE-SAINT-ETIENNE
Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images
West Ham United eye permanent deal for Bournemouth’s Hamed Junior Traore
A month ago, Foot Mercato were the first to suggest that West Ham were ‘monitoring’ Traore.
The Ivory Coast international has started only five Premier League matches since joining Bournemouth from Sassuolo back in 2023, largely due to an unhelpful combination of injury and illness.
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An outstanding loan spell with French outfit Auxerre last season, however, ensures that the Cherries should have relatively few problems getting their forgotten man off the books.
Coppa Italia winners Bologna and Champions League-bound Atalanta are interested in taking the one-time Bergamo battering ram back to Serie A.
It is Atalanta’s interest, meanwhile, which brings about a detailed report from La Dea specialists Tutto Atalanta this week. They say that Atalanta have made ‘initial exploratory contact’ with a Bournemouth outfit who may be willing to let Traore leave on loan, albeit with a mandatory £17 million purchase clause in his contract.
Tutto Atalanta throw Fiorentina into the mix as well.
Though while West Ham cannot be totally discounted – the report adds that Graham Potter’s outfit are prioritising a permanent deal over a loan-to-buy arrangement – Traore, in an ideal world, ‘would like to return to Serie A’.
Whether the former Empoli and Napoli man gets his wish, though, depends on whether Atalanta, Bologna or Fiorentina can or will make the sort of 20 million euro pledge Bournemouth are looking for.
Traore could fill Tomas Soucek void but West Ham want Raphael Onyedika
Why, some may be wondering, are West Ham targeting a player who has not made a single Premier League appearance since 2023? Well, Traore’s stellar spell across the Channel with Auxerre provides a few answers.
Traore netted ten goals from just 26 Ligue 1 starts. Keito Nakamura of Reims was the only midfielder to score more. If West Ham lose Tomas Soucek – Hammers News understands that Leeds United and Everton have held discussions – Traore could provide the box-crashing dynamism required to fill a Soucek-shaped void.
“He chose to test himself in France because he knew he had to find continuity,” agent Valerio Giuffrida told Tuttomercatoweb last year of the one-time Arsenal and AC Milan target.
“He is demonstrating what he had shown during his time at Sassuolo, [where Traore’s displays] made him one of the strongest players in the championship.
“Some unfortunate events – such as a foot injury and an infection contracted in Africa – affected two years of his career, preventing him from playing regularly. He is returning to the player we knew, and who had attracted the attention of important clubs such as Milan and Arsenal.”
Hammers News understands that Traore is not, though, the first-choice central midfield target on Kyle Macaulay’s summer wishlist.
West Ham are prioritising Club Brugge enforcer Raphael Onyedika at this stage.