According to The Pitch Prospect, West Ham are interested in bringing England midfielder Angel Gomes back to the Premier League.
Former Manchester United youngster Gomes will be available on a free transfer when his contract with French club Lille expires at the end of the season.
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The injury-hit Hammers have also shortlisted Gomes’ Lille team-mate Jonathan David as a potential striker target.
Gomes would be the first signing of the Graham Potter era at the London Stadium, having succeeded Julen Lopetegui on January 9.
The 24-year-old has become the heart of Lille’s midfield since joining from United in 2021.
Gomes worked his way up through Carrington’s academy before making his Red Devils debut under Jose Mourinho in May 2017.
He played ten games for the English giants in all competitions until his departure in 2020, when he joined Lille as a free agent.
However, he had to wait until 2021 to make his debut for the French team after being loaned to Portuguese club Boavista for the 2020/21 season.
But Gomes has since established himself as a key part of Lilles’ midfield, playing a major role in helping the club finish in the top five in Ligue 1 over the last three seasons.
Gomes’ achievements were rewarded in the form of a debut with the England senior team by former interim coach Lee Carsley, his old England U21 coach.
The midfielder made his debut as a substitute in England’s 2-0 win over Ireland on September 7 and started in the win over Finland just three days later.
Gomes’ performance against Fins earned rave reviews from pundits and fans alike, with Carsley saying the midfielder “fully deserved” all the praise he received.
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Signing David, whose contract in France also expires at the same time as Gomes’, would be a major coup for the Hammers.
David, 25, has been plundering the goals since joining Lille from Belgian club Gent in 2020.
The Canadian international has scored over 100 goals in 212 appearances across all competitions for Lille, breaking the 20-goal mark in his last two seasons.
David is ready to continue this streak as he has 17 goals to his name so far, including 11 in Ligue 1 and four in six Champions League games.
The 25-year-old’s impressive goalscoring exploits have led to several links with Premier League teams in recent years, including Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal.
But West Ham could leapfrog their English rivals by signing David, particularly if Lille are tempted to cash in on their prized asset in January rather than letting him walk on a free transfer in June.
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Given the pair’s impressive performances at Lille, West Ham will undoubtedly face plenty of competition from across Europe to sign both Gomes and David.
David has previously expressed his dream of playing for Barcelona, who he supported as a boy.
Gomes has never ruled out a return to the Premier League after a four-and-a-half year absence.
The new signing duo would mark the start of Potter’s tenure at West Ham in terms of transfers.
After a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the FA Cup, Potter won his first Premier League game in charge of the Hammers as they recorded a thrilling 3-2 win over Fulham last Tuesday.
Lucas Paqueta’s goal in the 67th minute proved to be the winner and West Ham continued to escape relegation trouble.
Potter’s side will look to continue the momentum when they host Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Pitch Prospect 2 will bring you live and exclusive commentary from this encounter across London at 3pm.