West Ham and Crystal Palace are keeping close tabs on Lille midfielder Ngal’ayel Mukau, according to reports in the French media.

L’Equipe claim that the 21-year-old could be one of the players that leaves the Ligue One outfit as part of a clearout at the end of the season, despite being a regular starter.

Mukau has made 35 appearances in all competitions for Bruno Genesio’s side, having started 20 games in total.

The 21-year-old was linked with the Hammers last summer, but the club ultimately signed Soungountou Magassa from Monaco instead.

What do fans need to know about Mukau?

The midfielder was born in Antwerp, Belgium, and he came up through the ranks of KV Mechelen before making his senior debut for the Pro League club against Zulte Waregem in January 2023.

Mukau made just 37 appearances before he was snapped up by Lille for €5m prior to the start of the 2024/25 season.

The Congolese international is a holding midfield player by trade, although he has played a lot of his football on the right wing this campaign, especially in the Europa League.

West Ham need to strengthen in midfield

The Irons have allowed several midfielders to leave the London Stadium in recent months. James Ward-Prowse was loaned out to Burnley, and he is expected to be sold this summer on his return to the club.

Lucas Paqueta was offloaded to Flamengo, while Guido Rodriguez was released from his contract before joining Valencia on a free transfer.

There are now rumours that Tomas Soucek could be let go by the club at the end of the season, with the Czech international having a year left on his contract. In that context, the renewed interest in Mukau is not at all surprising.

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