West Ham United have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Amadou Onana to the London Stadium this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by The Guardian, who revealed that Everton have now matched West Ham's bid of €40m (£33.5m) for the LOSC Lille midfielder, with Frank Lampard believed to be hoping to add two new central midfielders to his squad prior to the closure of the summer window on September 1.

The report goes on to state that, despite David Moyes' side looking to have been leading the race for the 20-year-old's signature for the majority of the summer, it is now thought that the Belgium international would prefer a move to Goodison Park ahead of one to east London.

Blow for Moyes

Considering just how close it initially appeared West Ham were to sealing a deal for Onana, in addition to how promising a talent the defensive midfielder evidently is, the news that Everton now look as if they could steal the 20-year-old away from the Hammers' grasp this summer is sure to come as a huge blow to Moyes and his transfer team.

Indeed, there are very clear similarities between Onana and West Ham's own holding midfield star, Declan Rice, with the Lille youngster besting the England international in tackles - 3.44 to 2.18 - tackles that won possession - 2.19 to 1.50 - pressures - 16.8 to 13.5 - and only narrowly falling short of Rice's number of interceptions per 90 - 2.25 to 2.69 - over the course of the 2021/22 campaign.

The £9m-rated talent also appears a similar player to the West Ham captain in possession of the ball, attempting 1.32 dribbles to Rice's 1.73, attempting 43.6 passes to the Englishman's 60.9 and completing 9.40 passes under pressure to the 23-year-old's 8.75 per 90 last time out.

As such, with Rice being valued at a whopping £150m by the Hammers, and Onana posting some very similar numbers in key metrics in comparison to the 32-cap international last season, it would very much appear as if a £33.5m deal for the £5.5k-per-week player who Jonas Boldt dubbed a "promising young talent" could have been something of a steal for Moyes.

However, with it now appearing as if Everton are leading the race for the 20-year-old, the West Ham boss may have to turn his attention in the transfer market elsewhere in order to bring midfield reinforcements into the club prior to September's deadline - an outcome that would certainly be a source of great frustration for the 59-year-old.