Out-of-favour West Ham Star Viewed As ‘Alternative’ By Champions League Club | OneFootball

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Galatasaray are considering out-of-favour West Ham United star Soungoutou Magassa as an ‘alternative’ option for their defensive midfield department.

The Frenchman arrived at the London Stadium last summer from Monaco, the club where he had spent the entirety of his career prior to the move.

The 23-year-old did not enjoy the smoothest introduction to life outside France, struggling to establish himself in a West Ham side that endured a deeply disappointing campaign of their own.

The defensive midfielder featured in just 22 Premier League matches across the season, with half of those appearances arriving from the bench.

Falling out of favour, Magassa did not receive a single minute across five of the final six Premier League matches under Nuno Espirito Santo, underlining his drop down the midfield hierarchy.

Magassa first emerged on Galatasaray’s radar during the latter stages of the winter window when the Turkish giants explored the possibility of a loan deal containing a purchase option.

However, that movement never progressed beyond the early stages and the Frenchman remained at the London Stadium.

According to Turkish journalist Erol Evcen, Magassa continues to hold Galatasaray’s attention and is now being considered as an ‘alternative’ target.

The Yellow-Reds’ preferred option for the defensive midfield position is Rennes star Djaoui Cisse and only if that pursuit fails could they seriously turn their focus towards Magassa.

That development could hand encouragement to both West Ham and the player himself as the east London outfit look towards generating £100m through player sales following relegation, while the midfielder is unlikely to welcome another season on the fringes.

Should a move materialise, Magassa would exchange the prospect of Championship football for the opportunity to feature in the Champions League with the Cimbom.

For now though, any concrete approach remains dependent on the outcome of Galatasaray’s pursuit of Cisse.

But recent suggestions of talks involving the Hammers’ first-choice defensive midfielder Tomas Soucek and Galatasaray have also added another layer to the situation as the Turkish side have clearly been looking at potential signings from the relegated side.

Another West Ham midfielder facing uncertainty is Edson Alvarez, who has returned to the London Stadium with questions continuing to surround his future.

Meanwhile, Konstantinos Mavropanos, appears to be ‘about to leave’ amid admiration from several leading European leagues.

Magassa still has five years remaining on his deal in London and, if a move to Turkey does not materialise, the Hammers may still look to move him on during the summer window.