The £17.5m American star who could power up West Ham this summer - if Fulham don't get there first

The best relegation battle in years has taken new twists in recent weeks with West Ham United’s upturn in form and new managers in the dugout at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the City Ground.

From looking dead and buried in mid-January, seven points from safety with only three Premier League wins to their name, The Nuno Espirito Santo’s side look like they could now pull off a great escape, condemning one of Spurs, Nottingham Forest or Leeds to the drop.

And that has a major impact on what until very recently looked set to be a depressing summer transfer window for Hammers fans.

What had seemed to be a spell that saw all of The Irons’ best players depart the London Stadium, likely led by Jarrod Bowen, it now looks like West Ham could instead go on the offensive in the transfer market.

Obviously there are no shortage of areas to upgrade in a team who look set to finish in the bottom five for both goals scored and goals conceded even if they do survive, and one player who’s long been linked with a move to east London is Yunus Musah.

West Ham were linked with the American last summer and were unsuccessful, but Sport Witness believe they could return for Musah in a few months’ time - though they may have to battle Fulham for his signature.

Aged only 23, Musah used to be a regular feature in our Wonderkid Rankings and has bags of experience for his age, but what could he bring to the capital?

Yunus Musah - A vital Swiss Army knife or jack of all trades, master of none??

Musah first made waves at the Arsenal academy after moving from New York to London via Italy, and played for England from under-15 to U18 level, even after switching from Hale End to Valencia aged 16.

He racked up a remarkable century of appearances for Blanquinegros before his 21st birthday and became the youngest non-Spanish goalscorer for the club, showcasing the trait that remains his biggest strength today - his versatility.

Musah played in nine recognised positions, deployed as far up the pitch as second striker and as far back as full-back by Valencia, attracting the attention of AC Milan who brought him to the San Siro in 2023 and allowed him to take the iconic number 80 that was previously worn by Ronaldinho.

But Musah has been something of a jack-of-all trades, master of none in Milan and his career has stalled as a result. He’s spent this season on loan at Atalanta - more on that later - and was an unused substitute in both legs of their recent Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund.

In three Serie A seasons, Musah has only started consecutive games in the same position 11 times and is now struggling for minutes in Bergamo. At his best he’s capable of locking down an area of the pitch or producing a result-altering assist, but he can also go missing in games and struggle to nail down a specific role within the team. So what could that mean for West Ham or Fulham?

Will Musah transform West Ham or Fulham?

The first stumbling block is Atalanta do have an option to buy Musah at the end of this season - though given he’s played less than 600 minutes so far this season then it’s unlikely they will choose to trigger that.

With two years still remaining on the American’s contract, Milan have reportedly reduced their asking price from €30 million to €20m (£26m to £17.5m) to try and get him off their books, which has increased interest.

Sports Witness believe Napoli are one party considering making a move for Musah while Besiktas are also linked with him, but Premier League bidders would be hard to turn down and that leaves West Ham and Fulham.

Only aged 23, there is still time for Musah to reignite his career and Fulham may have the greater need for him especially given they have the oldest squad in the Premier League - but West Ham have shown more consistent interest in someone who could become a genuine star at the London Stadium.

West Ham have plenty of midfield options in Soungoutou Magassa, Freddie Potts, Mateus Fernandes and Tomas Soucek - plus the exiled James Ward-Prowse - but they’ve struggled to fashion them into a functional unit for much of this season so the versatility of Musah could help to get more players into their best positions.

He’d also be a wide option in more defensive games for The Hammers (like this weekend’s game against Liverpool) where the combination of his solidity out of possession and rapid pace would be well-suited to a counter-attacking gameplan.

Whether that is worth £17.5m remains to be seen - and if West Ham are relegated then Fulham would surely be his only English suitor - but Musah remains a young player who is capable of blossoming into a key Premier League player if given the right environment to thrive in.