Maxwel Cornet finalises move to West Ham United

West Ham United have confirmed via the club’s official website that they have completed the signing of Maxwel Cornet from Burnley.

The Ivory Coast international switched Lancashire for east London to sign a five-year deal after West Ham triggered his £17.5 million release clause.

The deal could signal the end of their pursuit of Eintracht Frankfurt’s Filip Kostic, with the Serbian now close to a move to Serie A giants Juventus.

The 25-year-old arrives as the club’s fifth summer acquisition as David Moyes looks to improve on the club’s Europa Conference League qualification from last season.

The Ivorian could not hide his excitement after sealing his transfer and is already drooling about his debut.

“It’s a new step for me to join this big club, and I’m really happy to be here, to be part of the project for the club. I’m just excited to start,” he said.

“Everyone knows the level here in the Premier League is very high, and I want to play here for that, so I’m really happy to be here for the next stage in my career.

“It will be amazing to play in front of 62,500 fans at London Stadium. I played here for Burnley last season, and I can’t wait to experience it as a West Ham player.”

Cornet arrives at the London Stadium with a wealth of experience, having racked up 306 club appearances between France and England, scoring 61 times and assisting 31. He also has 29 caps for his country, chipping in with six goals.

He is a smart signing for the Hammers as he can be efficient as a left winger, a wing-back or a full-back. He was one of the standout performers in Burnley’s underwhelming campaign that saw them relegated.

The Clarets are experiencing a mass exodus, with their top players being the first through the exit door post-relegation. 

Cornet is the fifth high-profile player to leave Turf Moor following the departures of Nathan Collins, Nick Pope, James Tarkowski and Dwight McNeil. 

The bright side for Vincent Kompany’s side is that they can reinvest the proceeds from these departures as they chase Premier League rebirth.