**West Ham United seemed to have wrapped up a deal for AS Monaco midfielder Soungoutou Magassa.**
However, [Foot Mercato](https://x.com/Santi_J_FM/status/1960727967111274498) reports that Eintracht Frankfurt are now looking to throw a wrench in those plans by making a late push to hijack the transfer.
The 21-year-old looked destined for the London Stadium after the Hammers agreed a £17 million deal plus bonuses to sign him from Monaco.
[Magassa had already given the green light](https://westhamblog.co.uk/posts/west-ham-working-on-personal-terms-with-soungoutou-magassa/) and was set to sign a six-year contract with the Hammers.
He had even completed his medical in London, but West Ham have now been dealt a massive blow, with the player set to make a stunning last-minute U-turn.
West Ham manager Graham Potter has been desperate to bolster his squad after a humiliating start to the season, and Magassa was seen as a key addition.
With Edson Alvarez set to join Fenerbahce on loan, West Ham were in urgent need of another midfielder to bring quality and steel to the midfield.
Magassa was the ideal target, but when it seemed like only an official announcement was missing, West Ham were dealt another massive blow to the gut.
West Ham are arguably suffering their most miserable period since their promotion to the top flight.
They lost their opening match against newly promoted Sunderland 3-0 before suffering a 5-1 hammering at home to London rivals Chelsea.
They’ve also been eliminated from the EFL Cup in the second round after Wolverhampton Wanderers came from behind to earn a 3-2 win at Molineux Stadium.
That means West Ham have now lost all of their opening three games across all competitions this season. Signing Magassa would have lifted the mood in East London, but even that is now in jeopardy.
The Bundesliga side have offered a loan deal which includes a mandatory purchase option. It trumps West Ham’s proposal and is now tempting both Magassa and Monaco.
With Champions League football also on offer, it’ll be hard for West Ham to convince Magassa that a move to East London is in his best interest.
This twist of fate epitomises West Ham’s fall from grace. The Hammers need some serious pick-me-up over the next few days, or their situation could somehow become even worse.