West Ham are interested in bringing England midfielder Angel Gomes back to the Premier League, talkSPORT understands.
Former Manchester United youngster Gomes will be available on a free transfer when his contract at French club Lille expires at the end of the season.
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The injury-hit Hammers have also shortlisted Gomes’ Lille teammate Jonathan David as a potential striker target.
Gomes would mark the first signing of the Graham Potter era at the London Stadium after he took over from Julen Lopetegui on January 9.
The 24-year-old has blossomed in the heart of Lille’s midfield since he joined in 2021 from United.
Gomes worked his way through the academy ranks at Carrington before making his senior Red Devils debut under Jose Mourinho in May 2017.
He went on to make ten appearances across all competitions for the English giants until his departure in 2020 when he joined Lille as a free agent.
However, he had to wait until 2021 to make his debut for the French side after he was loaned out to Portuguese outfit Boavista for the 2020/21 campaign.
But Gomes has since cemented himself as a key member of Lille’s midfield and played a starring role in helping the club finish in the top five in Ligue 1 for the last three seasons.
Gomes’ displays were rewarded in the form of a senior international debut for England by former interim boss Lee Carsley – his old England Under-21s boss.
The midfielder made his debut off the bench in England’s 2-0 win over Ireland on September 7 and started just three days later in the victory over Finland.
Gomes’ display against the Fins earned rave reviews from pundits and fans, with Carsley stating the midfielder ‘fully deserves’ all the praise that came his way.
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The capture of David, whose contract in France is also due to expire at the same time as Gomes’, would represent a serious coup for the Hammers.
David, 25, has plundered in the goals since he joined Lille from Belgian side Gent in 2020.
The Canada international has registered over 100 goals in 212 appearances across all competitions for Lille and has cracked the 20-goal mark in his last two seasons.
David is poised to extend that streak as he has 17 goals to his name so far, with 11 coming in Ligue 1 and four in six Champions League fixtures.
The 25-year-old’s impressive goalscoring exploits have sparked several links to Premier League teams in recent years, including Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal.
But West Ham could leapfrog their English rivals to the signature of David, especially if Lille are tempted to cash in on their prized asset in January rather than let him walk for free in June.
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Given the pair’s impressive displays at Lille, West Ham will no doubt face plenty of competition from across Europe to land both Gomes and David.
David has previously expressed his dream is to play for Barcelona, who he supported as a boy.
As for Gomes, he has never ruled out a return to the Premier League after four-and-a-half years away.
The signature’s duo would mark quite the start to Potter’s tenure at West Ham in terms of transfers.
After a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the FA Cup, Potter won his first Premier League match in charge of the Hammers as they recorded a thrilling 3-2 win over Fulham last Tuesday.
Lucas Paqueta’s 67th-minute strike proved to be the winner as West Ham moved further away from relegation trouble.
Potter’s side will look to continue the momentum when they host Crystal Palace on Saturday.
talkSPORT 2 will bring you live and exclusive commentary of that all-London encounter at 3pm.
