West Ham United ‘were considering’ a move for winger Adnan Januzaj following his departure from Real Sociedad, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Manager David Moyes has worked with the 27-year-old on two previous occasions at Sunderland and Manchester United and had been tipped to sign him once again this summer on a free transfer.
What is the latest news involving Januzaj?
TalkSPORT reported that West Ham are ‘in talks’ with Januzaj’s camp regarding a potential move as they look to add some much-needed strength in depth out wide.
However, the Hammers now face a battle to secure the 15-cap Belgium international’s signature after Romano revealed they face stiff competition for it.
The transfer expert disclosed that Sevilla are in ‘advanced talks’ to sign Januzaj, and while there is ‘still work to do’ on the player’s side, the La Liga outfit hope an agreement can be reached imminently.
Sevilla could be set to lose Lucas Ocampos to reigning Eredivisie champions Ajax and are lining Januzaj up as his replacement at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium.
West Ham, though, are set to welcome continental competition back to the London Stadium next month and could look to reunite Moyes and Januzaj once more as a result.
What has Romano said about Januzaj?
Moyes has been heavily backed in the transfer market this summer, spending big sums on the likes of Gianluca Scamacca, Lucas Paqueta and Nayef Aguerd.
And Romano has informed GiveMeSport that Januzaj was also on West Ham’s radar, although admits the players is now ‘close to joining Sevilla’.
He said: “For example, Januzaj, he was a player available on a free that West Ham were considering, but now he's close to joining Sevilla. So, let's see if they will bid again or not, but Sevilla are pushing on this one.”
Would missing out on Januzaj be a big blow?
Last season, Januzaj registered five goals and three assists in 44 appearances across all competitions for Sociedad as they finished in a very respectable sixth position in La Liga.
As per FBref, the creative talent also ranked in the 93rd percentile for completed dribbles and the 85th for progressive carries amongst his positional peers over the last year, highlighting his ability with the ball at his feet.
Jarrod Bowen is currently the only natural option on the right-wing for West Ham, and on a free transfer, Januzaj would surely be a sensible solution to an obvious shortcoming.