Amid all the fuss around central midfielders – from Mateus Fernandes to Marc Casado, Andrey Santos and Soungoutou Magassa – those striker links at West Ham United have taken a backwards seat over the last week.
In the space of the last nine days or so, the Hammers have reportedly submitted offers for no fewer than four midfield targets.
Southampton will not sell Mateus Fernandes for £32 million, however, even if Saints boss Will Still dropped an intriguing hint regarding his much-coveted playmaker on Thursday.
Enzo Maresca confirms that Chelsea will not sell Andrey Santos, allegedly the subject of an eye-watering £45 million offer from West Ham United. Exactly how much the Hammers were willing to pay for Marc Casado or Monaco marvel Soungoutou Magassa is not quite clear, but Hansi Flick put one rumour to bed when insisting that Marc Casado is staying at Barcelona.
According to an agent who knows Swiss football like the back of his hand, though, West Ham should not be discounted from the race to sign Monaco centre-forward Breel Embolo even if a new striker is clearly not the priority right now.
Breel Embolo during AS Monaco v Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Knockout Round Play-Off Leg Two - UEFA Europa League
Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
Agent claims West Ham United are ‘very interested’ in Monaco striker Breel Embolo
Speaking to Stile TV, Gianluca di Domenico admitted that he would not be surprised to see Napoli move for the highly-experienced Embolo after losing Romelu Lukaku to injury.
Antonio Conte’s Serie A champions could be without Lukaku for up to four months. So, despite spending around £30 million on Udinese targetman Lorenzo Lucca earlier in the window, Napoli have suddenly been thrust into the market for another number nine.
Talks regarding Manchester United misfit Rasmus Hojlund are ongoing. Di Domenico, however, feels that Embolo is also likely to be on director Giovanni Manna’s shortlist, as well as that of West Ham United.
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“Embolo is the right fit for Napoli. Manna knows Swiss players very well, even those who aren’t top-tier,” Di Domenico says. “Embolo is a very physical player, sometimes overly physical!
“He is similar to Lukaku in terms of his physicality, his running power, and his ability to attack [the penalty area].
“West Ham are also very interested in Embolo.”
Di Domenico is the executive director of the Sport 11 AG agency, representing mainly Swiss players. But while Embolo is tied to the SEG agency rather than Di Domenico’s stable, the representative claims to have been made aware not only of West Ham’s interest but also of Monaco’s desire to cash in.
The 77-cap international was not part of Adi Hutter’s squad as Le Monegasque kicked off the new Ligue 1 campaign with a 3-1 victory over Le Havre last weekend.
“He’s on the market,” Di Domenico adds. “And by not calling him up, his club, Monaco, have made it clear they’re just waiting for an offer to sell him.”
Embolo is a long-time West Ham target but Graham Potter needs midfielders
A one-time wonderkid at Basel back home, Embolo spent much of his career in Germany with Schalke and Borussia Monchengladbach.
The Cameroon-born powerhouse scored only seven goals for Monaco in 2024/25, however, often saving his most memorable displays for the international stage. It was Embolo who put England within a whisker of a quarter-final exit at last summer’s European Championships.
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Interestingly, reports linking Embolo with a move to the London Stadium can be traced all the way back to 2021. As recently as January, it was reported that West Ham were again eyeing the £12 million forward.
And, if Di Domenico is to be believed, this may be an opportunity which is given consideration once more before September begins.
But with Graham Potter hoping for two new midfielders – a box-to-box dynamo like Fernandes and a deep-lying number six like Casado – centre-forwards are clearly not at the top of West Ham’s wishlist right now.
A case in point; it is over two weeks now since Foot Mercato reported that West Ham were in talks to sign Idrissa Gueye from Metz. A Senegalese teenager who scored six goals in 13 starts during the second half of last season.
But, with bids now flying left, right and centre for a variety of midfield targets, it is clear where the Hammers’ priority lies.