West Ham dealt 'significant' update over next £21m transfer plan

West Ham have been sent a 'significant' update in their pursuit of Metz striker Georges Mikautadze this summer as Julen Lopetegui prepares his squad for the upcoming Premier League season.

Football Insider had reported that a deal for Mikautadze would be the Hammers' next piece of business having brought Wolves defender Max Kilman to the club for £40 million over the weekend.

Lopetegui is strengthening his squad in all areas and added firepower seems to be next on the list of priorities. The outlet reported that West Ham technical director Tim Steidetn and the club's recruitment team had been 'working overtime' to get the deal through the door.

Mikautadze starred for Georgia at Euro 2024 this summer and is expected to leave Metz after the side was relegated to Ligue 2 at the end of last season. The striker, who can play across the front three, bagged 13 goals in Ligue 1 last term.

Metz are said to be ready to sell the player for €25 million, around £21 million, and West Ham are believed to have submitted a serious bid around that figure. Metz only signed the player permanently this summer, exercising a €10 million option-to-buy clause in his short-term loan from Ajax - the striker previously played for Metz between 2019 and 2023.

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Despite only just signing the player permanently, it is thought that Metz could sell the forward straight away with the chance of immediate profit. However, in a significant update from French outlet Le10sport, that move perhaps won't be to the London Stadium.

The outlet reports that Mikautadze is only keen on joining a club that can offer him European football next season. Having placed 9th in the Premier League last term, that effectively rules out West Ham, with AS Monaco and AS Roma now supposedly frontrunners to recruit the Georgia star.