West Ham are awaiting a response from Lille after offering £32.5million for midfielder Amadou Onana.
Manager David Moyes initially thought the 6ft 5in Belgian enforcer would prove beyond their reach but Lille are mulling over the bid.
Onana only joined the French club from Hamburg 12 months ago, but they stand to make a considerable profit on the £6million they paid for him.
The 20-year-old's stock is rapidly rising and he made his senior international debut for Belgium against Holland in the Nations League last month.
It came after he made 32 appearances in Ligue 1 last season and also featured eight times in the Champions League.