Report: West Ham and Crystal Palace open talks to sign Ligue 1 midfielder

Add as preferred source on Google

French website Foot Mercato have claimed both West Ham United and Crystal Palace have opened talks with the agent of Strasbourg midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, with a view to completing a deal this month.

Bellegarde, 22, joined Strasbourg in the summer of 2019 after impressing in the second tier of France with RC Lens. Stepping up into Ligue 1, Bellegarde has coped with the increased quality – playing 39 times since joining.

The midfielder – who earned three France Under-21 caps but has since been called up by Haiti – is renowned for his speed in central midfield as well as his enormous stamina and passing ability. He has a contract until 2023.

The latest report claims his growing reputation has not gone unnoticed in England. West Ham and Palace are both said to have opened talks with his agent over a move – though it remains to be seen how much he would cost.

TBR’s view – Bellegarde looking like a real prospect

While he is not renowned for his amount of goals or assists, Bellegarde is showing real quality in the engine room. At such a young age, he boasts enormous resale value – joining Strasbourg for just £1.8million (GFFN).

The Hammers could do with a midfielder. Declan Rice continues to be linked with a move, Mark Noble is beginning to enter the latter stages of his career and Tomas Soucek needs cover. Palace are also after a midfielder.

All the signs are promising for Bellegarde.