West Ham abandon Raphael Onyedika interest, plot swoop for another African star

There have been speculations that West Ham are interested in Raphael Onyedika, but the Super Eagles star has now been relegated

English Premier League club West Ham are set to shelve their interest in Super Eagles midfielder Raphael Onyedika and pursue DR Congo midfielder Ngal'ayel Mukau, Soccernet.ng reports.

Onyedika has made a mark at Club Brugge since joining from Danish Superliga club Midtjylland three years ago.

The 24-year-old defensive midfielder has seamlessly slotted into Club Brugge and has become a regular under different coaches at the club.

His performances have seen him linked with some top clubs outside of Belgium. Last year, the Super Eagles star was linked to AC Milan, and it looked like the deal would happen until they signed Youssouf Fofana from Monaco.

This summer, the Super Eagles star has been heavily-linked with West Ham. The speculations have started since the start of the transfer market, but nothing serious has happened yet.

Coach Graham Potter wants a solid defensive midfielder, and West Ham have been weighing their options.

Now, according to Sacha Tavolieri, The Hammers have relegated Onyedika on their list of targets. The transfer market expert reports that the club is seriously interested in DR Congo midfielder Mukau.

The 20-year-old defensive midfielder has been at Lille since last year, and has been very impressive.

He has close ball control, high activity on the pitch, and is very strong on the ball. Mukau is valued at €20 million, which is a price West Ham can afford.

Over the years, Lille have produced some decent midfielders like Amadou Onana, Renato Sanches, Idrissa Gueye, Yves Bissouma, and West Ham will hope that Mukau also shines for them.

What happens with Raphael Onyedika now?

Despite West Ham's interest in Ngal'ayel Mukau, they still have Raphael Onyedika in their sights, only that he's not a priority at the moment.

If they fail to sign Mukau, they could try to sign Onyedika, as they both have similar profiles.

Meanwhile, the Super Eagles star is a regular for Club Brugge. Even if he does not get the big move to West Ham, he will look to have a strong campaign with the Blauw-Zwart and help the club reclaim the Belgian Jupiler Pro League title.