West Ham United 'failed' in deadline-day move for Ligue 1 star wanted by Premier League clubs

West Ham United were among several Premier League clubs that failed to sign Arouna Sangante on deadline day, according to reports.

Various outlets suggested the Hammers were preparing a bid for the 21-year-old centre-back. With funds across the top flight tight, West Ham were only understood to be chasing a loan move.

But Le Harve were reportedly only willing to offload their asset on a permanent basis. Sangante has emerged as one of the top talents in Ligue 1, helping Le Harve solidify themselves as a top-flight outfit following promotion last year.

A 6ft 2in Senegalese powerhouse, Sangante could have served as an ideal understudy to Nayef Aguerd, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Kurt Zouma. The latter two, in particular, have struck up a formidable partnership for United in recent weeks.

Contracted until 2026, Le Harve are in no desperate need to sell and a loan move made little sense. An update from Football Insider has claimed West Ham were in advanced talks for the defender until a move broke down.

Nottingham Forest are named as another who expressed interest despite their financial woes. The Premier League charged the Tricky Trees for allegedly breaching Financial Fair Play regulations last month.

That ruled out any possibility of a permanent move for Sangante, valued at around £20million. As for West Ham United, they also chose to keep their powder dry for the summer transfer window.

Kalvin Phillips arrived on loan but that was as eventful as their business got. Said Benrahma also completed a deadline-day switch to Lyon until the end of the campaign after a frustrating 2023-24 at the London Stadium.