West Ham United have not merely entered the race for one of the most sought-after talents in Serie A – alongside Premier League rivals Crystal Palace – Graham Potter’s side have ‘explicitly shown their interest’.
At least, that is how the Italian media describe West Ham United’s ongoing pursuit of a central defender with more options on his table than Pedro Pascal’s overworked agent.
Despite the fact West Ham signed Jean-Clair Todibo permanently from Nice at the end of the Premier League campaign, and despite the fact there are no offers yet for the error-strewn Konstantinos Mavropanos, Koni de Winter is a name which just will not go away.
Genoa ace De Winter was linked at the start of February. A few weeks later, reporter Gianluca Longari claimed that West Ham had contacted the Serie A outfit about a potential deal for their former Juventus starlet.
Bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur have allegedly put forward a £20 million proposal in the meantime but, according to the latest update provided by Tuttomercatoweb on Thursday morning, West Ham United remain very much a key part of the picture.
Interestingly, there was no mention whatsoever of Tottenham in TMW’s latest report.
How much can be read into their omission is up for debate. Though one suspects that, if Spurs had indeed submitted an offer, they would have been front and centre of Tuttomercatoweb’s piece.
Instead, it is West Ham who get a big mention, next to Crystal Palace.
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Graham Potter’s side, alongside Oliver Glasner’s FA Cup winners, are allegedly the only two clubs in England to have ‘explicitly shown their interest’ in a player also on the radars of Portuguese powerhouses Portugal and Benfica, not to mention Inter Milan.
The total absence of Tottenham certainly casts doubt on claims that a £20 million bid has arrived on Genoa’s table from the white corner of North London.
Genoa director Marco Ottolini speaks out as West Ham eye former Juventus man
A graduate of the Juventus academy, De Winter joined Genoa initially on loan back in 2023. The Antwerp-born Belgium international has blossomed into one of the finest young defenders in European football with the Grifone.
“Koni is another player who has grown a lot,” Genoa’s sporting director Marco Ottolini tells TMW of his 6ft 3in prized asset. “He is becoming more and more aware. He has an international-level profile for physical, technical and mental qualities.
“Some requests for information are arriving [from interested parties]. They have already arrived. At the moment, there is nothing written, concrete or finalised. [But] he is a player who has many requests.”
Juventus legend Leonardo Bonucci – 50 per cent of that 2021 European Championship-winning Azzurri defence alongside Giorgio Chiellini – feels it is De Winter’s fierce mentality which marks him out as a potential superstar centre-back.
“He has no fear and this will be an advantage for his career,” Bonucci said. “He has enormous room for improvement. He has a whole career ahead of him.”