Man Utd face Premier League competition for Edmond Tapsoba
Cameron Smith
- 13 Oct 2023 19:05 BST
- 3 min read
West Ham United have reportedly expressed their desire to sign Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba as Kurt Zouma begins to attract interest from Saudi Arabia.
Tapsoba, 24, has been on Manchester United’s radar for several years and the Red Devils pushed to sign him once again this summer.
FootballTransfers reported back in August that Bayer Leverkusen’s €46 million (£40m) asking price was seen as too large, however, and the Red Devils decided against pursuing a deal.
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Instead, Jonny Evans re-joined the club on a free transfer after training with the first-team during pre-season.
Kim Min-jae was Erik ten Hag’s first-choice centre-back target, but he joined Bayern Munich instead following his remarkable 2022-23 season at Napoli.
Tapsoba is therefore seen as one of Man Utd’s primary centre-back targets, although Leverkusen have previously stated that they will not entertain offers for the 24-year-old.
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Tapsoba has started all seven of Leverkusen’s Bundesliga matches so far this season, as Xabi Alonso’s side sit top of the German top flight.
West Ham want Tapsoba
Man Utd aren’t the only club interested in Tapsoba, however. 90min have reported that West Ham have sounded out the Leverkusen star as a possible replacement for Kurt Zouma.
The Frenchman was appointed Hammers club captain upon Declan Rice’s summer departure to Arsenal, but he will have just 18 months left on his current deal when the January transfer window opens.
Furthermore, there is Saudi Pro League interest in Zouma, which dates back to the summer, according to 90min.
As a result, West Ham are beginning to prepare for Zouma’s potential departure and have identified Man Utd’s Harry Maguire and Tapsoba as two key targets.
In addition, a new left-back, midfielder and forward are also on West Ham’s January wish-list as technical director Tim Steidten hopes to build on the club’s encouraging summer business, which saw the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse arrive.
