West Ham, Southampton and Marseille look to be beaten in the race to sign Lille midfielder Idrissa Gueye. The Senegalese international instead will head to Aston Villa for a medical on Tuesday after a £9m fee was accepted by the Ligue 1 club.
Gueye played 44 matches in all competitions during the 2014/15 season, scoring 4 goals and 2 assists.
Southampton saw Gueye as a potential replacement should Morgan Schneiderlin leave, with every indication seeming that will be the case.
For the Hammers, Gueye would further strengthen the West Ham midfield, and after likely missing out on Yohan Cabaye, the 25-year-old would be a welcome addition to Senegalese duo Diafra Sakho and Cheikhou Kouyate.
West Ham have already signed the 23-year-old Pedro Obiang from Sampdoria this summer, and Gueye would be another young midfielder to build for a bright future at the Olympic Stadium.
Gueye has been described by former French international and Senegalese international Coach Alain Giresse as being “as good as Jean Tigana”.
Giresse also described Gueye saying, “[he] has stature, he has a good sense of anticipation and responds quickly. He is precise in his use of the ball and has started to add goals to his game too.“
West Ham seem to be on the verge of resigning midfielder Alex Song on a permanent deal from Barcelona after the Cameroonian spent last year at the Boleyn Ground on loan.
The Hammers have also targeted the 24-year-old Beşiktaş midfielder Tolgay Arslan as an option to add depth and potential to the side before a busy 2015/16 season, which starts at the Boleyn Ground tomorrow night against FC Lusitans in the First Qualifying Round of the Europa League.
