Report: West Ham eyeing 22-year-old from French top flight, captained his former club aged 19

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West Ham United have reportedly expressed an interest in signing Strasbourg midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, according to Footmercato.

The French outlet claims that the 22-year-old is on the Hammers’ radar, but Italian outfit Fiorentina are also said to be keeping an eye out on the player.

Bellegarde played for Villetaneuse CS and Le Mans as a youth before joining the Lens academy and subsequently breaking into the first team.

Between 2016 and 2019, the former France Under-21 international made 70 competitive appearances for Lens, scoring six goals and registering four assists.

During the 2017-18 season, Bellegarde – then 19 years of age – was handed the captain’s armband by head coach Eric Sikora.

Bellegarde then joined Strasbourg last summer for a reported £1.8million fee and has enjoyed a decent maiden season at La Meinau, making 30 appearances in all competitions.

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Predominantly a holding midfielder, Bellegarde has the stamina and energy to do well as a box-to-box midfielder too, and at just 22 years of age, he is a talented young player who could certainly bolster the West Ham ranks.

Having worn the captain’s armband at Lens is testament to a player with great leadership skills, and as Bellegarde himself said to Lensois in 2019: “I think the coach wanted to give me more confidence and responsibility.

“Thanks to that, I probably had more confidence and it helped me develop. The group also liked the fact that I was captain, that made me happy. I also opened up in my game. I was more comfortable on the pitch, I took more risks.”

With Mark Noble now 33, Jack Wilshere struggling with fitness and Declan Rice continuing to be the subject of transfer speculation, it’s worth keeping an eye out for potential new midfield additions.