Exclusive: West Ham in Advanced Talks with Nigeria Midfielder Tochukwu Nnadi

West Ham United have stepped up their interest in Zulte Waregem midfielder Tochukwu Nnadi and could make a formal approach in the coming days.

The Premier League club have been tracking the 22-year-old for several months following a series of impressive performances for the Belgian side.

Sources have told SportsBoom that West Ham officials have already held discussions with Nnadi’s representatives as they explore the possibility of a summer move.

Premier League rivals monitoring situation

Nnadi is attracting interest from across the Premier League, with Brighton, Leeds, Newcastle and Crystal Palace all understood to be monitoring his progress.

Clubs in Germany and Spain are also keeping a close watch on developments, although West Ham are believed to be the most advanced in their pursuit.

Talks held during Morocco camp

A source close to the player, Nwosu Chigozie, confirmed that representatives of West Ham met Nnadi while he was on international duty with Nigeria in Morocco.

“West Ham’s interest has been there for a while, but it became more serious after he was named in Nigeria’s final AFCON squad,” the source said.

“Club representatives travelled to Morocco to speak with Tochukwu and his agent. They wanted to establish the player’s interest before any formal negotiations between the clubs.”

International pedigree and rapid rise

Nnadi reached the quarter-finals of the 2023 Fifa Under-20 World Cup with Nigeria’s Flying Eagles and has since been promoted to the senior national team.

He made his Africa Cup of Nations qualifying debut against Uganda, coming on in Nigeria’s final group match.

The holding midfielder only joined Zulte Waregem from Bulgarian side Botev Plovdiv in January 2024 but has quickly emerged as one of Europe’s most sought-after young players in his position.

Nnadi could be the first piece in West Ham’s squad rebuild, coming as star man Lucas Paquetá has informed the club he wants to leave, with his heart set on a return to Brazil.