West Ham United were keen on a summer deal for Florian Thauvin, the player’s agent has confirmed.
While David Moyes chased another deal for Jesse Lingard, the French winger appeared to have been an alternative target as the West Ham boss attempted to strengthen his attack.
Ultimately, the club moved for Nikola Vlasic in a £25.7m deal, although the former CSKA Moscow winger has struggled to wholly convince.
In 13 Premier League appearances, Vlasic has only scored once and is yet to register an assist, although it must be said Moyes has only afforded him four League starts.
Thauvin, who rebuilt his career with Marseille after an ill-fated short spell with Newcastle United in 2015, ultimately left the French club for Mexican giants, Tigres UANL.
A World Cup winner with France in 2018, his agent has claimed a number of Premier League teams were interested in the player as he geared up to leave Marseille on a free transfer.
“There were talks with Pablo Longoria, the [Marseille] president, then the interest of big clubs like Milan, Atalanta, Rome, Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Lyon towards the end,” said Ludovic Delechat to TuttoMercatoWeb.
