West Ham United are tracking Racing Club de Strasbourg midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde with the view to a potential summer transfer, according to Foot Mercato.
Bellegarde has only been at the Meinau Stadium for the past year having moved to Les Coureurs from boyhood side RC Lens, but could soon be on the move again with clubs around Europe monitoring the 22-year-old’s situation.
It is alleged West Ham are monitoring Bellegarde’s potential availability and could look to pursue a possible deal, although Strasbourg’s stance nor suspected demands have been noted.
The Irons are not showing the most interest, either, as Fiorentina are believed to ‘really like’ the central midfielder who has previously piqued the attention of Super Lig giants Galatasaray.
Gala were claimed to have formally registered their interest at the start of July, as they began considering alternatives for Mario Lemina before the Southampton man returned to St. Mary’s after his season-long spell on loan.
Bellegarde was a regular during his maiden season with Strasbourg, making 30 appearances across all competitions – including starting roles in 16 of his 24 Ligue 1 outings – and impressing with his forward-thinking play.
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The Colombes-born midfielder often sought to break between the lines of an opposition’s midfield and defence with driving runs through the middle, looking to exploit any space with a good balance, acceleration and mobile stature.
Bellegarde also aided Strasbourg’s defensive efforts with a high-press style, where the 5 ft 6 youngster strived to cut the passing lanes and recover lost possession. His lack of experience, however, often also saw the midfielder arrive too late and leave himself out of position.
Altogether, his efforts helped toward 0.6 shots, 0.9 key balls, 24.2 accurate passes (87%) and 42 touches per Ligue 1 fixture on average, per Sofa Score, as well as penning 1.7 tackles, 0.9 interceptions, 0.3 clearances, 1.4 successful dribbles and winning 4.3 ground duels.
His lack of height did lead to regular struggles at winning aerial duels with an average of just 0.4 won, while also losing possession 8.8 times and committing 1.3 fouls.
