West Ham have responded to a claim out of Belgium that their initial bid to beat Leeds United to exciting star Mario Stroeykens has been met with laughter.
Hammers News exclusive
Leeds United are back in the Premier League and they intend on staying there if the Elland Road outfit’s ambitious summer transfer window plans are anything to go by.
While it is being reported Leeds have £100m plus to spend this summer, West Ham are restricted to whatever they can raise in sales.
Although that figure could actually reach the £100m mark if the Hammers can get good value for the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Nayef Aguerd and – if he beats spot fixing charges – Lucas Paqueta.
A measure of Leeds’ ambition on their return to the big time is the fact they are reportedly interested in signing West Ham favourite Tomas Soucek.
Leeds ‘leapfrogged’ West Ham for super Mario Stroeykens
It is claimed Graham Potter is open to selling the big Czech as he looks to change the way West Ham play next season.
And Daniel Farke is said to want to write a big cheque to bring the guaranteed goal getter to Leeds.
Lines of communication are already established between the two clubs after the £26m deal which saw West Ham sign Crysencio Summerville from Leeds last summer.
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
Now the Hammers and Leeds are on a collision course over top target Mario Stroeykens.
Potter wants to overhaul his midfield and rebuild it around young, exciting talents – with Anderlecht star Stroeykens one of West Ham’s top targets according to reports.
RSC Anderlecht v Club Brugge - Jupiler Pro League Champions' Play-Off
Photo by Peter De Voecht / Photonews via Getty Images
The problem for the Irons is that Leeds have been linked with a move for the 20-year-old too.
A top Belgian journalist exclusively told Hammers News recently that West Ham look a good next step for Stroeykens’ career.
The Hammers are deliberately targeting players whose contracts are running down into the last two years.
And that is the case with the highly-rated Belgian, who is going into the last 12 months of his current contract.
Anderlecht are facing up to the reality that they must cash in this summer or risk losing their prized asset for nothing.
West Ham bid to beat Leeds to Stroeykens ‘laughed off’
Leeds leapfrogged West Ham in the race for Stroeykens by ‘starting internal discussions around personal terms’.
Farke has already signed striker Lukas Nmecha and the club are said to be closing on other deals.
So the prospect of missing out to the newly-promoted Leeds for a top target gravely concerns West Ham fans.
Especially with the likes of Paul Merson claiming Leeds could stay up at West Ham’s expense next season.
Reports from Belgium have claimed West Ham’s bid for highly-rated attacking midfielder Stroeykens has been dismissed out of hand – offering Leeds hope.
Belgium v Malta - UEFA Under 21 Championship
Photo by Isosport/MB Media/Getty Images
In fact it has been stated West Ham’s opening bid of around £8.5m was actually “laughed off” by the Anderlecht board, who want at least £16m.
Update: #Anderlecht weigert 10 miljoen
Het eerste bod op Mario Stroeykens is een feit. Terwijl het jeugdproduct van #rsca weigert om te verlengen, kwam West Ham aankloppen met 10 miljoen euro.
Maar dat werd weggelachen door het bestuur. #Anderlecht wil ministens 20 miljoen euro… pic.twitter.com/nHiO5TglG6
— Update (@rscaupdate) June 23, 2025
View Tweet
Now West Ham have responded after the claim their bid to beat Leeds to Stroeykens has been ‘laughed off’.
Hammers News put the claim to the top spokesman for West Ham’s owners.
Interestingly the response did not deny the club are interested in Stroeykens or that they have submitted a bid.
However, West Ham’s board emphatically insists the claim it’s been laughed off is simply not true.
Hammers deny Stroeykens claims from Belgium
“That is made up,” the top spokesman for West Ham’s hierarchy exclusively told Hammer News.
“We’re not sure where that story has come from.”
So it seems the race between the Hammers and Leeds for Stroeykens is still very much open.
As far as the Hammers are concerned, Stroeykens is seen as a potential replacement for Paqueta.
He certainly ticks the box for Potter’s rebuild around dynamic players.
That’s according to Marc Wilmots, the man who led Belgium into the 2014 World Cup.
Wilmots has stated Stroeykens is hands down the ‘best player’ in Anderlecht’s midfield – giving an insight on what he would bring to whoever wins the race for his signature.
“I am a very big fan”, Anderlecht fan and pundit Sam Kerkhofs told Extra Time.
“He has a lot of vision and an enormously wide range of qualities. Stroeykens is also strong and you can’t get him off the ball.”