West Ham are one of several teams weighing up a January move for FC Utrecht left-back Souffian El Karouani, according to reports.
The 25-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and the next transfer window is the last opportunity for Utrecht to secure a transfer fee.
Mountakfab Foot claim that the Hammers are “interested” in signing El Karouani, along with Manchester United, Bologna, Como, Porto, Benfica and Marseille.
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The defender is currently away with Morocco at the African Cup of Nations but his form for his club has been outstanding.
El Karouani’s assist record this season
The fullback has created no less than 15 goals in all competitions for FC Utrecht, 9 in the Eredivisie and 6 in the Europa League.
Combined with the 3 goals that El Karouani has scored himself, he is averaging a goal involvement every 1.55 matches. Of course, you do have to consider the league he is playing when assessing those statistics but they are impressive numbers any which way you look at them.
Are West Ham in the market for a left-back?
El Hadji Malick Diouf has had an impressive start to life at the London Stadium, having arrived from Slavia Prague in the summer. His backup, Ollie Scarles, has also just returned to fitness following a shoulder injury, so there is no immediate need to strengthen the left-hand side of defence.
El Karouani’s contract situation would suggest that the Irons may be considering an opportunistic move in January, or more likely, they are hoping to snap him up on a free transfer at the end of the season.
You can’t see El Karouani being regarded as a priority next month, with the club set to be focused on recruiting a striker and a centre-half.
Read more about the West Ham First Team Squad for 2025/26 here