Exclusive: West Ham were offered Leeds United star

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Published on:

10 Apr 2020, 9:23 am

West Ham were offered the chance to sign Leeds United striker Jean-Kevin Augustin in recent windows, Football Insider has learned.

The Hammers learned that Augustin's parent club RB Leipzig had made him available both last summer and again in January.

A West Ham source has told Football Insider that the club were offered Augustin, 22, via intermediaries and explored the viability of loan and permanent deals.

They eventually decided to forego the chance to move for the forward and instead prioritise other targets.

West Ham signed three players in January including wide forward Jarrod Bowen from Hull City for £20million-plus as well as well as six recruits last summer.

The most notable of these was £40m club-record signing Sebastien Haller, a centre-forward of similar profile to Augustin.

The Leipzig man eventually joined Monaco on a season-long loan on deadline day last summer.

It did not work out and the Frenchman cut short that deal to join Leeds in January on an initial loan that could become permanent if the team get promoted.

Augustin has made little impression in England's second tier, partly due to injury and partly due to Marcelo Bielsa's trust in Patrick Bamford.

The French striker made only three substitute appearances for the Championship leaders before suffering a hamstring injury up until football's suspension last month.

He has yet to open his Leeds goal account but has an impressive record at Leipzig, where his 67 matches have yielded 20 goals and eight assists.

In other Leeds United news, it can be REVEALED that the club have been offered fresh hope Ben White will remain next season.

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