West Ham won’t make a move to sign Lille midfielder Angel Gomes this week but will try to sign him on a pre-contract next summer, however, they will face stiff competition. 

Angel Gomes is a player that has really come on the radar across Europe since making his England debut last year, he now has less than sixth months remaining on his Lille contract meaning he will be available for free this summer.

The 24-year-old is likely to return to England with multiple clubs chasing his signature. The Hammers are joined by Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Arsenal among a whole host of Premier League clubs looking to bring in Angel Gomes ahead of next season.

According to reports, a return to Manchester United seems like the most likely move, the Carrington Academy graduate has reportedly given the ‘green light’ to manager Ruben Amorim. Gomes joined the Red Devils’ youth team at the age of just six years old, rising through the ranks before leaving for Lille in 2020. Gomes made his debut under Jose Mourinho in May 2017, he went on to make 5 appearances before reportedly falling out with the Portuguese manager.

Despite a negative departure from the club previously. Gomes will undoubtedly love the club and the area after spending 14 years of his life at the club, so it would make sense as to why he’d like to return. Tottenham Hotspur are also likely to be ahead of West Ham in the race. However, despite links Gomes has put talks on hold till the summer as he is fully focusing on the rest of the season at Lille.

Gomes claims that there are no negotiations surrounding an immediate exit and plans to stay with Lille.  He said: “I’m aware of clubs inquiring about my situation, but I’m now completely focused on Lille. I want to finish the season in the best way possible and then we will see what happens, I’m focused on the present and not on negotiations.”

West Ham will undoubtedly be in for a midfielder in the summer with Guido Rodriguez and Andy Irving expected to leave, Carlos Soler’s loan expiring and Lucas Paqueta’s potential gambling ban still looming. Angel Gomes could be the ideal player for the West Ham squad with his style suiting Potter’s ball-dominant possession style and he is also capable of playing in central midfield as well as in a more attacking role.