Rumour: Arsenal & West Ham in talks to land Anderlecht's Cheikhou Kouyate

Cheikhou Kouyate garnering interest from Arsenal and West Ham

Arsenal and West Ham are reportedly leading the chase to sign Anderlecht’s Cheikhou Kouyate in the summer, as the London pair look to strengthen their defensive options ahead of the 2014/15 season, report The Express.

Arsenal are looking to give themselves more strength in depth in defence, with Thomas Vermaelen contemplating leaving Arsenalthis summer and they have identified Kouyate as the man their want to come in and provide competition to Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny.

They will face competition from West Ham however, while Liverpool, Manchester City, Galatasaray, CSKA Moscow and Valencia all hold a strong interest in the Senegalese centre-back, with the latter having had a bid rejected in January.

Kouyate’s agent, Saffet Balkan has claimed he has already held talks with the London-based pair, but warned other sides that they may need to move quickly in order to secure his client’s signature, with offers already on the table from elsewhere.

Balkan told reporters, “I have met representatives from Arsenal and West Ham over Kouyate in Belgium. We are currently in talks.

“I will also meet with representatives from Galatasaray and CSKA in Istanbul later today to discuss an offer for Kouyate.”