West Ham United have identified Leicester City‘s Abdul Fatawu as a key target this summer as they face an uphill battle to retain Crysencio Summerville.
The winger was a key standout for the Netherlands during their underwhelming World Cup campaign, in which they exited during the Round of 32 in a penalty shootout loss to Morocco.
Manchester Links Ramps Up Search
However, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side could lose Summerville this summer, with Ben Jacobs reporting that Manchester United have now opened talks to sign the 24-year-old, with a bid likely to be submitted should they sell Marcus Rashford.
Michael Carrick has already lost out on one of his key targets from East London, with his former side in Tottenham Hotspur, beating the Red Devils to Mateus Fernandes, with an £85 million fee paid for the midfielder.
With interest ramping up, West Ham have now explored alternatives, and according to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Abdul Fatawu is a serious target for the Irons, and they have already had a bid rejected by Leicester City.
It is believed that United are set to return with an improved offer for the Ghanaian international, who is set to play Colombia in the Round of 32 of the World Cup tonight.
A regular for the Foxes, the 22-year-old played in all but two of their Championship games last season, contributing nine goals and seven assists as they failed to avoid the drop into League One.
Incoming manager Russell Martin is facing a major task to sell key players in order to fund his own transfer business this summer, and is set to gain healthy fees from elsewhere, with Manchester City pressing on with a £10 million fee for Jeremy Monga and Harry Winks reportedly set to head to Italy.
Fatawu Can Help Irons
While he plays on the right-hand side like Jarrod Bowen, Abdul Fatawu can certainly prove to be a regular star for West Ham United as they drop down into the Championship.
The 22-year-old has struggled for regular minutes for his nation at the World Cup, having to compete with Antoine Semenyo and Kamaldeen Sulemana on the flanks, but his previous season at Leicester City shows he is more than capable at this level.
While the rest of his side struggled to do much, which ultimately earned him a relegation into League One, Fatawu was exceptional compared to other wingers, taking more shots than any other player, also having the most successful dribbles and duels won.
A hard worker too, the former Sporting CP man has frequently assisted the defence in his recoveries and clearances, but is prone to giving fouls away.
Whether he can properly adapt to playing on a different flank if West Ham can retain Bowen this summer remains to be seen, but he could form the perfect partnership with Malick Diouf to spearhead their aims of an instant promotion back to the Premier League.
