West Ham United are interested in making a move for Geoffrey Kondogbia, with the Hammers pushing hard for a move, according to reports…
West Ham transfer news – are they signing Geoffrey Kondogbia?
West Ham are pushing hard to sign the Atletico Madrid midfielder, as per journalist Aaron Dominguez, who also reported offers from both Olympique Lyonnais and Besiktas.
The news that the Hammers are targeting such a move comes as little surprise, given that Declan Rice is set to leave the club this summer with both Arsenal and Manchester City pursuing a deal for the England international.
As things stand, Kondogbia's contract is set to come to an end next summer, meaning that, if Atletico do want to cash in, it will need to be during the current transfer window, or in January.
The Central African Republic international's current valuation, according to Transfermarkt, sits at €14m (£12m), though it remains to be seen exactly how much the 30-year-old would command this summer.
What role would Kondogbia play at West Ham?
With Rice seemingly on the move, Kondogbia would come straight into David Moyes' side, almost mirroring the genius of Brighton & Hove Albion replacing Yves Bissouma with Moises Caicedo last summer.
The Atletico Madrid man holds similar traits to Caicedo, too, with the added benefit of a much lower valuation. FBref have ranked the Seagulls sensation as the sixth most statistically comparable player to Kondogbia.
As per the same site, it is Kondogbia who stands strong defensively when compared to the Brighton midfielder, making more tackles and interceptions per 90 in 2022/23.
An interesting difference, however, is how Caicedo, in Roberto De Zerbi's system, wins more tackles in the final third. Moyes, in contrast, would be getting himself a more defensive-minded player in his transfer target, which may suit his system at the London Stadium better.
Kondogbia has certainly attracted plenty of praise throughout his career, too, with his Central African Republic teammate Wilfried Zahibo telling BBC Sport back in 2021:
"I think he can be in the discussion even now for sure.
"Obviously we have some guys like Mahrez who are in a special dimension but we should definitely talk about Geoffrey too. For me, he's one of the best midfielders in Africa and maybe the world."
"We have had a good relationship for some time, and he is a great guy to be around. He helps everybody and is the leader of the team, on and off the pitch."
At 30 years old, the former Valencia midfielder would bring with him veteran experience at the London Stadium, having also featured for the likes of Inter Milan, Sevilla, and Monaco.
A safe option in the middle of the park, whose defensive ability bettered that of the highly-rated Caicedo in some areas last season, the £114k-per-week "monster" – as once lauded by A-League creative producer James Todd – also loses the ball less than his potential midfield counterpart.
The more that you look at West Ham's potential deal with Atletico, the more it looks as though they could be performing a piece of transfer genius, comparable to Brighton's upgrade on Bissouma through Caicedo last summer.
As the transfer window goes on, and Rice's exit edges closer and closer, it will certainly be a deal to keep an eye on as the Irons could well hand Moyes his very own version of the Seagulls machine.
