West Ham United have agreed a €40m (£33.5m) fee plus add-ons for Lille midfielder Amadou Onana, according to a report.
Following the retirement of club legend Mark Noble, David Moyes has been in the market for a new centre-midfielder to provide competition for the likes of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek.
Flynn Downes has arrived this summer from Swansea City for a fee which could rise to around £14m, but the Hammers are prepared to splash the cash on another of their top midfield targets.
According to Sky Sports News, West Ham have now reached an agreement with Lille to sign Onana this summer for an initial €40m (£33.5m) plus add-ons.
The report adds that the Hammers had previously seen three bids knocked back for the 6ft 5in midfielder, but they have now succeeded with their fourth offer.
It is understood that Onana's transfer to the London Stadium is not imminent, however, as West Ham are yet to agree personal terms with the player.
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The report adds that Lille are reluctant to sell Onana, who they signed from Hamburg for only €7m (£6m) last summer, but the French club believe that they may not receive a better offer for the midfielder in the future.
Onana began his professional career with German club Hoffenheim but failed to make a single senior appearance before joining Hamburg in 2020.
The midfielder was unable to help Hamburg secure promotion back to the Bundesliga in the 2020-21 campaign, but his performances caught the eye of Ligue 1 champions Lille, who tied him down to a five-year contract last summer.
Onana made 41 appearances for Les Douges last season, including eight in the Champions League, although he was only named 15 times in the starting lineup.
Nevertheless, Onana's impressed Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez, who handed the midfielder his international debut against the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League in June.
Should Onana agree personal terms with West Ham, he will become Moyes's fifth signing of the summer window, after the arrivals of Downes, Nayef Aguerd, Alphonse Areola and Gianluca Scamacca.
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The Hammers also have their eyes on other transfer targets this summer, with Sky Sports News claiming that they are in talks with Burnley regarding a move for Maxwel Cornet.
The East Londoners are keen to take the 25-year-old winger on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy next summer based on specific player and club performances.
Cornet, who is understood to have a £17.5m release clause following Burnley's relegation to the Championship, missed the club's opening league fixture against Huddersfield Town last Friday.
West Ham also remain in talks with Eintracht Frankfurt over a potential deal for versatile wideman Filip Kostic, although they have been told by the German outfit that they must increase their offer to £16.8m (€20m), having previously seen a bid worth £12.6m (€15m) including add-ons rejected.
Oliver Thomas
