Kyle Macaulay approves £38.5m West Ham double deal amid Malick Diouf medical claim.
Mohammed Kudus may still be a West Ham United player but, as talks with Tottenham Hotspur continue, the Premier League outfit are wasting no time as they look to put a potential £60 million windfall to good use.
The Ghana international is, it appears, the cork which should set the summer flowing at the London Stadium.
Kudus is in talks to join rivals Tottenham Hotspur. And, while many West Ham fans are understandably venting their fury towards David Sullivan and co, bringing in a fee of £60 million for a player who struggled last season, while freeing up funds for a long-awaited squad overhaul, could prove to be an excellent piece of business in hindsight.
A third of that Kudus-shaped windfall appears to be on its way to Slavia Prague.
Hammers News’ football correspondent Graeme Bailey reveals that West Ham United’s head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay has green-lit a potential £21.5 million deal for El Hadji Malick Diouf.
But, after contact was made regarding Celta Vigo ace Oscar Mingueza too, Kudus could end up financing two defensive reinforcements while leaving a further £20 million aside for further additions.
Graham Potter and Kyle Macaulay during their time at Swansea City
Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images
Kyle Macauley approves West Ham United deals for El Hadji Malick Diouf and Oscar Mingueza
Bailey, speaking on Thursday, revealed that Macaulay has approved deals for both Diouf and Mingueza.
Former Brighton scout Macaulay brings a data-driven approach to recruitment to West Ham. It is understood that Diouf and Mingueza, who play international football for Senegal and Spain respectively, scored very highly amongst the number-crunchers at the London Stadium.
Slavia Prague rejected West Ham’s opening bid for Diouf earlier this week. But, after an initial offer of £17 million was turned down, reports from the Czech Republic suggest that an agreement is now close to the tune of £21.5 million.
Mingueza, meanwhile, has a £17 million release clause in his Celta Vigo contract.
Barcelona could bring in £15 million from West Ham, then, in the space of a few weeks. Barca included a 50 per cent sell on clause in the contract of La Masia graduate Mingueza when selling him to Celta during the summer of 2022.
Jean-Clair Todibo’s permanent move to the London Stadium has already seen the La Liga champions bank around £7 million.
El Hadji Malick Diouf during AC Milan v Slavia Praha: Round of 16 First Leg – UEFA Europa League 2023/24
Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images
Slavia Prague ace close with Raphael Onyedika still on the radar
According to Senegalese publication Wiw Sport, El Hadji Malick Diouf is expected to touch down in London at some point over the weekend. He should undergo a medical in the coming days before being confirmed as the first big-money signing of the summer transfer window.
Diouf is unlikely to be the first.
Mingueza, who helped Celta Vigo return to European football after nearly a decade away and can play on both the right and the left of the backline, should not require extensive negotiations due to the presence of an affordable release clause in his contract.
Hammers News have also been informed that Raphael Onyedika remains very much under consideration.
Oscar Mingueza during RC Celta de Vigo v CD Leganes – La Liga EA Sports
Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images
Kyle Macaulay installed Onyedika as West Ham’s first choice midfield target earlier in the window. This is another deal the Hammers could look to speed up once they have £60 million in the bank and Kudus is saying his goodbyes.
If the reported fees are correct Macaulay could land Diouf, Mingueza and Onyedika for just £3.5 million more than Tottenham have been quoted for the former Ajax forward.
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