Crystal Palace and West Ham United are both interested in signing LOSC Lille defensive midfielder Ngal’ayel Mukau.
A youth product of Mechelen and Zulte Waregem, Ngal’ayel Mukau joined Lille on July, 2024 on a four-year contract. The Congolese, 20, has hardly faced any difficulty in adapting to the demands of French football, catching the eye with his tackling and ball-winning prowess. He has already featured in seven league games for Lille, and his performances in the Champions League is understood to have gone unnoticed across Europe.
Mukau is now reportedly on the radar of Crystal Palace and West Ham, and the Premier League duo could launch an offer for him as early as January. The 20-year-old is also attracting interest from other clubs in Europe.
Ngal’ayel Mukau could be on the move in January?
Crystal Palace and West Ham are seemingly looking to raid the French market for reinforcements after poor starts to their respective campaigns.
The Eagles find themselves in the relegation zone, having managed just one win in 12 games. It is bizarre to see manager Oliver Glasner struggling to inspire his team, especially after the impact he had during the second half of last campaign where the South Londoners beat teams like Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa.
Adam Wharton, rated among one of the brightest English talents, finds himself on the radar of top Premier League clubs, and considering Palace’s precarious situation, they would fancy their chances of signing him in January. Perhaps, Palace want to be prepared for Wharton’s exit and are possibly eyeing a move for Mukau.
As for the Hammers, they enjoyed an excellent summer transfer window that saw the board wholeheartedly back new manager Julen Lopetegui. However, results have been extremely disappointing, with Lopetegui’s team currently in the bottom half of the table.
The Irons may seek to bolster their midfield unit which has not managed to control games as much as their liking, and Mukau has emerged as a target. At 20, the Congolese would trim down the age of the squad whilst adding more energy and steel to West Ham’s midfield.
That said, it will be interesting to see whether Lille allow Mukau to leave in the winter transfer window. Getting recognised from Premier League and European clubs is a massive achievement on the young midfielder’s part.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
