West Ham are one of six teams pursuing Royal Antwerp midfielder Mandela Keita, according to Het Nieuwsblad.

The Belgian newspaper claims the Hammers are interested in signing the 22-year-old this summer, along with Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, Leeds, Norwich and Blackburn Rovers.

Keita is actually on loan at Antwerp from OH Leuven at the moment but the Belgian Pro League side are obligated to buy him at the end of the season.

However, Het Nieuwsblad report that they will likely cash in on the player straight away when the next transfer window opens in order to make a profit.

What do West Ham fans need to know about Keita?

The midfielder was born in Leuven to parents of Guinean descent, and he made his way up the youth ranks of his local team before he made his senior debut in March 2021 against KV Mechelen.

Keita initially moved on loan to Antwerp in January last year before a second loan agreement (with a purchase clause) was agreed in August.

The Belgian is very much a holding midfielder by trade, but he isn’t the most physical at 5ft 11. His performances for Antwerp did, though, attract the attention of Belgium boss Domenico Tedesco, who gave him his first senior cap in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Austria last year.

Steidten is planning a significant overhaul of the playing squad

It is believed that technical director Tim Steidten has set his sights on bringing in as many as six new signings over the course of this summer.

A number of players are out of contract at the end of next month, including Aaron Cresswell, Angelo Ogbonna, Michail Antonio and Ben Johnson, while the futures of Nayef Aguerd and Danny Ings are also uncertain.

It means that Steidten needs to add numbers to the first-team squad in preparation for Julen Lopetegui‘s first season in charge.