West Ham have reportedly had a €23m bid rejected by Lille for midfielder Amadou Onana.
According to The Athletic, the Hammers are now considering an improved offer for the 20-year-old.
Onana featured 41 times in all competitions for the Ligue 1 outfit last term, scoring three goals and registering one assist.
The youngster’s form in France in 21/22 was rewarded with his first cap for the Belgium nation team last month, having already featured seven times for his country’s U21 side.
West Ham’s move for the defensive midfielder appears to be as a result of identifying a young and promising international who can come to initially add depth to an area of the squad that has only two experienced first-team players, following the retirement of Mark Noble.
Indeed, Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice are David Moyes’ first-choice central midfielders but, with Noble no longer at the club, depth is required in that area, especially if the Hammers are to compete across four competitions for a second consecutive campaign.
That said, Onana’s age means he might be seen as a long-term replacement for either Rice or Soucek, who have both been subject of increasing speculation surrounding their West Ham futures this summer.
It is no secret that Rice is wanted by some of Europe’s top clubs and a large transfer fee would be too good to turn down by West Ham, while Soucek’s London Stadium future remains in the balance as contract negotiations continue.
So it appears Moyes and his recruitment team are already identifying replacements for the future, if either of Rice and Soucek do leave in the next couple of transfer windows.