Soungoutou Magassa has not been involved in West Ham United's opening two games of the season. There has been much speculation about his future, and he could be on his way to Crystal Palace.
The Paris-based journalist, Fabrice Hawkins, posted on X: "Palace are pushing to sign Soungoutou Magassa. The Eagles have been in contact with West Ham for some time to understand the conditions of a potential deal and would now like to get it done. Magassa is keen on the move. Negotiations are ongoing, with interest from several other clubs also present."
Other teams that Magassa has been linked with this summer include Olympique Lyon, Eintracht Frankfurt, Juventus, and Galatasaray.
A return to Ligue 1 with Lyon would be fitting for the former France Under-21 international. He used to play for AS Monaco, so a return to his homeland would make sense. His manager at Monaco was Adi Hutter, and a reunion with him at Frankfurt could have been on the cards.
Moving to Juve would be a stellar transfer. However, game time at the Serie A giants could be limited, as they have club captain Manuel Locatelli and Teun Koopmeiners as defensive midfield options. Magassa should try to get a move to a top-five European league if he can; therefore, he should rule out Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig.
Would Soungoutou Magassa be a good fit for Crystal Palace?
Despite playing just 22 times in the Premier League last season, Magassa will feel he has the potential to thrive in English football's top flight. He is also just 22, so he could be a long-term option for the Eagles.
Magassa is predominantly a defensive midfielder, but he can play centrally. Also, at 6 ft 3 in, the Frenchman can play centre-back. It could be that Palace's new manager, Pierre Sage, deploys Magassa alongside Adam Wharton in his favoured 3-4-2-1 formation.
Palace will need a big squad as they will be competing in the Europa League next season after winning the Conference League in the last campaign. Their victory in Europe really affected the Eagles' league form last season, as they finished as low as 15th.
West Ham should be fine without Magassa for their campaign in the Championship. The Hammers need to let go of players who do not want to feature in the second tier. Also, Nuno EspÃrito Santo will still have Mohamadou Kante and Tomas Soucek as defensive midfielders when he returns from injury. Players such as James Ward-Prowse and new signing Arne Engels can also play in the position.
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