According to reports in The Sun, West Ham United are closing in on a deal to sign Saint-Etienne midfielder Jonathan Bamba.

What's the word, then?

Well, The Sun says the east London outfit want the highly-rated 21-year-old to sign a pre-contract agreement with them before his deal with the French side runs out this summer.

The Sun says that the Ligue 1 outfit are still hopeful of persuading the midfielder to stay although they are struggling to convince him from a financial point of view, while the Irons' Premier League rivals Huddersfield Town and Crystal Palace could still hijack their move for the Frenchman.

How has Bamba done this season?

The 21-year-old has been in impressive form, and has scored seven goals and provided a further five assists in 24 appearances in all competitions for the Ligue 1 outfit.

According to WhoScored.com, two of his main strengths are his through balls and ability to play key passes and he has made 28 of those in 22 French top flight outings this term.

https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/fm2mc-badboyxi.mp4

Would he be a good signing for West Ham?

He certainly would be.

The France U21 international has shown with his performances and statistics in Ligue 1 this season that he is an impressive player with plenty of potential, and of course he is available on a free transfer unless he signs a new deal with Les Verts in the coming weeks and months.

That will represent a good deal for the east London outfit, and the fact that the youngster can play anywhere across the front three is also a huge positive.

Will they get him?

If West Ham want him, are determined to get a deal over the line and the player wants to come to the Premier League, it would be no surprise to see the Irons wrap up a deal even if Huddersfield and Crystal Palace choose to also ramp up their interest in the 21-year-old.