Reports state that West Ham United is in competition with a La Liga team to sign Ardon Jashari, a midfielder for Luzern.
The news comes from Corriere Dello Sport, which, according to an Italian source, starts off by lamenting the fact that Bologna passed up signing Jashari in the summer in favor of Nottingham Forest’s Remo Freuler. But it might not be too long before he has another opportunity to put Luzern behind him.
The 21-year-old, who has led his current team in each of their last three games, is reportedly being watched by West Ham.
Villarreal, on the other hand, could offer Jashari a route to Spain rather than England, so they have competition.
Either of them would only need to pay a (comparatively) low asking price of €6 million, or slightly less than £5.2 million, in order to sign him.
Jashari has a deal with Luzern through 2026. He was capped twice by Switzerland last year, once at the World Cup.
He has played for the team his entire career, making 80 appearances and tallying seven goals.
Jashari has made 20 appearances this season and netted four goals. He has been a defensive midfielder most of the time.
West Ham sold their captain to Arsenal in the summer, bidding Declan Rice farewell there. In response, they added Ajax’s Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse, who was a little bit more experienced, to their midfield.
But, given that Tomas Soucek’s contract is about to expire, they may need to make additional changes to the department in 2024.
Given his relative obscurity to a Premier League audience, Jashari would be a surprising choice, but West Ham has had success in the past when signing players from untapped markets.
Because of the successful career he has built for himself at the London Stadium since joining from Slavia Prague in 2020, Soucek himself would serve as an example of that.
Jashari may end up being one of his long-term replacements, provided Villarreal, another team vying for a spot in the Europa League, can outbid West Ham in a transfer.
Jashari may start for Villarreal in place of the former Premier pair.
There may be openings in Villarreal’s midfield when Francis Coquelin and Etienne Capoue, who were formerly of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively, reach the end of their contracts in June.
Villarreal has had a dismal start to the new season despite their stature as a club, and they are already on their third permanent manager of the year.
If someone like Jashari can make a quick impression, bringing him in to develop could help them get back on track.
Regarding his chances of getting in at West Ham, he might need to establish himself with some patience, as Flynn Downes, a current Southampton loanee, has been demonstrating, for example. However, if he possesses the necessary skill, it might be a good idea to jump on the opportunity while the asking price is still manageable.
