West Ham tipped to sign another former Chelsea man after N’Golo Kante in statement transfer

West Ham have already spent £65.5m on Luis Guilherme and Max Kilman this summer, but their business is far from done as new manager Julen Lopetegui eyes more improvements.

As previously reported, the former Wolves and Real Madrid boss is keen to bring in a new defensive midfielder and we can confirm ex-Chelsea man N’Golo Kante is his top target.

The 33-year-old proved he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level when he put in some impressive performances for France at Euro 2024.

Kante is reportedly open to returning to the Premier League this summer and the Hammers are looking to seal a deal for roughly £20m.

Lopetegui is a big admirer of the Frenchman and tried to sign him during his brief spell in charge of Real Madrid in 2018.

Kante could provide competition for the likes of Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek at the London Stadium, but clearly wouldn’t be a long-term option given his age.

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Frank Leboeuf believes Chelsea are missing a trick by not coming in for Kante themselves.

“When I saw [West Ham’s links with Kante] I said, what? Why Chelsea don’t call him back? The guy is from Chelsea, Lebouef said in a recent interview.

“We don’t want to see him at West Ham, with all due respect, and I think if West Ham can get him, you know, that’s a very good catch because that guy has proven during the Euros that he was still at the top.”

West Ham plot swoop for ex-Chelsea duo

Reports suggest that Kante isn’t the only former Chelsea star West Ham are pushing to sign this summer.

As sources confirmed to TEAMtalk on Friday, Lopetegui is keen to sign another new centre-back after Kilman and AC Milan’s Fikayo Tomori is at the top of his shortlist, per The Daily Mail.

The 26-year-old England international left Stamford Bridge for the Italian giants in the summer of 2021 and has gradually become one of their most important players.

Tomori has made 142 appearances for Milan, helping them clinch a Serie A title in the process, and is highly-rated in Italy.

But there are rumours that Tomori could pursue a return to the Premier League as he believes that would be his best chance to break back into the England team.

He is under contract at the San Siro until 2027 and Milan will reportedly demand €40-€50m (£33.7m-£42.1m) for the centre-back this summer.

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