Club director confirms West Ham target is 'not focused' and will be allowed to leave this summer

West Ham were reportedly showing interest in attacker Ezechiel Banzuzi, but they failed to pull off a move, with OH Leuven standing firm in their bid to keep the 19-year-old.

The Hammers were said to be among a number of clubs interested, with journalist Joost Blaauwhof claiming the East London side has made their interest clear to Leuven.

The 19-year-old has already racked up 58 league appearances for Leuven, and he is already a Netherlands under-21s international, playing above his age group. The question now is whether West Ham will return with a fresh offer for Banzuzi, and it seems the player himself is interested, with the club’s director György Csepregi admitting to Het Nieuwsblad via SportWitness: “I don’t talk to him about transfers and money, only with his brothers and agent.

“But it is logical that a 19-year-old boy who receives interest from clubs from La Liga, Ligue 1 and the Premier League is not fully focused. You also saw that in the matches. But so, would I. I can’t blame him and perhaps it’s even a good thing that he is suspended. This way we can give him some space this week to make the switch next week. He must do that in order to be able to make his transfer in the summer and not miss the U21 European championship. So, from next week the focus must return to OHL.”

The Belgian club’s chief added: “We have agreed with Eze that he’ll finish the season. We will definitely give him the next step in the summer. He’s completely outgrown the competition, hasn’t he? He plays on one leg.”

West Ham boss Potter is said to be a fan of the Banzuzi, and it’s claimed Leuven will demand a £12million fee to sanction a sale. West Ham may already be looking to the future with Lucas Paquetá having been regularly linked with a move away over the last year or so.

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