Stade Rennais boss Bruno Genesio has explained his decision to drop West Ham United target Jeremy Doku to the bench last night.
Doku has been heavily linked with a switch to West Ham this summer, while Manchester City are also said to be interested.
David Moyes has ramped up his efforts to bolster his squad over the past few weeks, with the Hammers moving to bring in James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez.
But West Ham are keen to bring in another forward option and have been tracking both Mohammed Kudus and Doku.
Indeed, Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna claimed just yesterday that Rennes have rejected an official bid from West Ham for Doku.
And the Belgian dropped to the bench as Rennes were held to a 1-1 draw at Lens last night.
Doku dropped to bench amid West Ham interest
Doku was brought off the bench yesterday as Rennes attempted to seal all three points after finding a second-half equaliser.
But Bruno Genesio explained the winger’s absence after last night’s draw.
“If he didn’t start today it’s just that… there we go,” he told RMC Sport.
“We’ll see. Because he was one of the best players in the match last week, it’s up to you to draw the conclusions. Nothing is done.”
Doku has starred for Rennes over the past couple of seasons and Genesio’s comments seem to suggest he could be on the move this summer.
The 21-year-old has attracted interest from City and Tottenham, as well as West Ham.
Of course, the Hammers may face an uphill battle in convincing Doku to join them over the likes of City.
But they seem to be pressing ahead with their attempts to land him and as they have submitted an offer, it would suggest Doku is open to the move.