Get French Football News features writer Adam White has exclusively told Transfer Tavern that he expects Jonathan Bamba to remain at Lille amid links with West Ham United on deadline day.

Reliable Irons insider ExWHUemployee said on his show, via Patreon, on Tuesday lunchtime that the east London outfit were in last-gasp talks to try and bring the attacker to the London Stadium before the 11pm deadline tonight, with discussions with the player's agent ongoing.

The Frenchman helped Lille to a shock Ligue 1 title win last term scoring six goals and providing a further 11 assists in 38 French top-flight matches, although his best campaign in front of goal came in 2018-19 when he netted 13 times in the same number of appearances.

White doesn't believe the 25-year-old has been in top form in 2021 to date, and believes he will stay at Lille, as he told Transfer Tavern: "As far as we understand at GFFN, Jonathan Bamba is expected to remain at Lille unless a late bid, that hasn’t materialised yet, arrives for the player.

"His career with Lille has been very up and down so far. Before Christmas last season he was perhaps the most important player for a team that eventually won the title, playing with a swagger and intensity as well as an end product that has often been lacking.

"However, since Christmas, his form has trailed off to the point where he wasn’t even a guaranteed starter at the end of the season before falling off a cliff this season. He's been playing like a player who wants to leave."

West Ham have been relatively busy in the transfer window to date, bringing in the likes of Alphonse Areola and Kurt Zouma, while Nikola Vlasic followed on deadline day from CSKA Moscow.

The Hammers are also being linked with a late swoop for Spartak Moscow's Alex Kral, with a deal reportedly on the cards.