Sky Sports are reporting that West Ham United are interested in bringing in Lille’s in demand centre-back Ibrahim Amadou. The French international has been in excellent form all season and has been shown interest by a number of English clubs. It was reported that prior to West Ham’s bid, Lille had rejected a bid from Crystal Palace for their star player. West Ham’s bid reportedly involves an initial £2 million bid to take him on loan with the option to buy the player for £14 million in the summer.
Palace’s bid, which was expected to be in the range of £10 million besides the initial £2 million, was rebuffed by Lille. The French side is demanding a fee in the region of £18 million but is ready to loan out the player if it includes an obligation for the approaching club to make the deal permanent.
Amadou is a centre-back by trade and has appeared in 23 games for the side. The Cameroon-born defender is a key figure in the Lille starting XI and can play a similar role with the Hammers. The 24-year old has a strong physical presence and can be a real asset for Moyes’ team. Moreover, he has the versatility to play in defence and as a holding midfielder that is something Moyes would be keen to exploit given his midfield’s disciplinary and injury issues.
Fortune has swung for the Hammers as West Ham United, after being winless in nine matches recently turned things around. David Moyes will look to build on his good start to the New Year at West Ham United as he attempts to wash over his previous success and consequent failure and rewrite his credentials as a manager. Prior to the FA Cup loss to Wigan, they were on a seven-match unbeaten run which included an impressive 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley and a 4-1 hammering of Huddersfield Town.
The gloomy atmosphere around the new London stadium has lifted since the arrival of Moyes as he continues his endeavour to find a new formula to bring his side back to a fighting place in the league. With Moyes already having a plethora of attackers, he is likely to want to turn his attention to his backline.
Moreover, the move for Amadou will allow Moyes to beef up his squad size going into the second half of the season and the Frenchman could well be the second man after Joao Mario to join the London side this month.
