West Ham United are reportedly in a battle with Tottenham Hotspur over a deal to sign Inter Milan defender Yann Bisseck, as per Caught Offside.
After becoming the new Hammers boss last summer, Julen Lopetegui decided to strengthen the centre-back position by signing Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo.
Still, the East London club have struggled with their defensive issues thus far this season, conceding 29 goals in 16 league games. Southampton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City and Brentford are the only clubs that have conceded more than the Spanish boss’ side in the Premier League this campaign.
So, it seems West Ham are planning to address this problem by signing a new defender next year. Caught Offside state that the Irons have expressed their interest in Bisseck after being impressed by his displays having scouted him closely in recent times.
Lopetegui’s side are planning to make a concrete approach to sign him in January and are prepared to table an offer of around £35m to persuade the Nerazzurri to cash-in and they would be tempted to accept the offer should they receive it.
Battle
The report say Tottenham Hotspur are also in this race and they sent scouts to watch the player in action against Parma recently. The player was excellent in that game and their scouts were impressed by him. So, the North London club are also planning to table a £35m bid to get the deal done in January.
However, West Ham’s German technical director, Tim Steidten, could play a key role in persuading his compatriot to move to the London Stadium and beat city rivals, Tottenham, in this race.
Bisseck has recently signed an extension with Inter and as a result, he has a contract until 2029 at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. The 24-year-old, standing at 6ft 4in tall, is quick, strong, good in the air, comfortable playing out from the back and efficient in defensive contributions.
Earlier this season, he started against Manchester City and Arsenal in the Champions League and kept clean-sheets in both games. Inter defeated the Gunners 1-0 and drew versus the Citizens at the Etihad Stadium.
Bisseck is a talented player and would be a great coup for West Ham if they can eventually manage to secure his service in the upcoming winter window.
