West Ham came close to completing another major signing in the final week of January before a late Nuno Espírito Santo U-turn scuppered the deal, according to a fresh report.
Nuno's side enjoyed a busy winter transfer window, but it also saw them desperately scrambling for defensive reinforcements right up until the final hours.
West Ham United manager Nuno Espirito Santo reacts-1
The Hammers sit precariously positioned in the relegation zone, six points adrift of safety following a torrid 25/26 so far, but there have been recent signs of hope they could pull off a great escape.
Nuno's desperate need for centre-back cover resulted in West Ham's frantic deadline day pursuit of Axel Disasi.
The 27-year-old eventually arrived on loan after marathon negotiations, though not before reliable insider ExWHUemployee revealed fresh demands emerged from the player despite an agreement seemingly being in place.
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He's left in the final hours.
Southampton's Taylor Harwood-Bellis attracted a £12 million bid from West Ham too, but the Saints demanded £20 million instead and rejected the approach outright.
Whilst Disasi ultimately completed his switch to East London, West Ham had actually been pursuing a completely different defensive target throughout the window's final week, and it wasn't Harwood-Bellis either.
West Ham 'came close' to Arouna Sangante deal with talks 'advanced'
According to journalist Graeme Bailey and TEAMtalk, West Ham were on the verge of signing defender Arouna Sangante from Le Havre after an impressive campaign in Ligue 1.
Bailey also revealed that discussions reached an advanced stage for Sangante before Nuno intervened to halt the transfer at the death.
West Ham's hierarchy were extremely keen on signing the 23-year-old, viewing him as an outstanding long-term investment with massive potential for future development.
Sangante has been one of Ligue 1's standout young defenders throughout this season whilst captaining Le Havre, and talks progressed significantly between the clubs during January's closing stages, with West Ham pushing hard to finalise the capture.
However, Nuno preferred targeting a more experienced Premier League-proven name rather than gambling on a young talent from French football.
The Portuguese manager's preference for immediate experience over future potential ultimately caused West Ham to abandon their Sangante pursuit and move for Disasi instead.
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Le Havre defender Arouna Sangante.
Bailey also confirmed West Ham's interest hasn't disappeared completely.
The Irons could revisit signing Sangante during the summer window, although competition for his signature will intensify dramatically by then.
Multiple Premier League clubs are currently tracking him closely.
Brentford, Brighton and Leeds United all have scouts regularly watching Sangante, impressed by his composure on the ball, leadership qualities and athletic profile.
Several European sides have also been monitoring the Senegalese's situation carefully throughout recent months.
Born in Senegal's capital Dakar, Sangante relocated to France during his teenage years and joined Le Havre aged just 16 after developing at Paris-based club Red Star.
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Le Havre defender Arouna Sangante.
His rapid progression since then has established him as one of Ligue 1's most coveted young defensive prospects.
The defender has already racked up 137 first-team appearances for Le Havre across all competitions, contributing eight goals and two assists along the way.
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