West Ham United are now keen on signing a “clinical” £40 million Premier League midfielder this month, according to a new report.
West Ham transfer news
Julen Lopetegui could soon get the sack at the London Stadium after defeat to Manchester City reopened the question marks around his long-term future at the club. Graham Potter’s name is once again back in the frame for the Hammers, and the former Chelsea boss may well seal a move to replace the Spaniard.
West Ham now make contact over move to sign "fantastic" £60m striker
Julen Lopetegui is keen to strengthen his strike force this winter.
ByDominic LundJan 3, 2025
Ahead of the game against City, Lopetegui revealed that West Ham are “working” on potential arrivals behind the scenes. Lopetegui said: “It is true that we have these two important losses [Bowen and Antonio]. The club knows our needs and are working about [on] that.”
One player the Hammers were interested in signing was Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney, but that appears to be a non-starter, as the defender looks set to re-join his old side Celtic. West Ham are said to have made an approach to sign Tierney, but he has snubbed the interest in favour of rejoining the Scottish champions.
A new forward could be on the radar for the Premier League side, as they are targeting a move for Real Sociedad star Brias Mendez. Lopetegui knows the player, having come up against him in La Liga, and he could be an option for the Hammers this month, as they look to strengthen their forward line.
West Ham keen on signing "clinical" £40m Premier League midfielder
Signing a new defender and forward are not the only positions the Hammers are looking to strengthen, as according to TBR Football, West Ham are interested in signing Carney Chukwuemeka from Chelsea in this transfer window.
Chukwuemeka joined Chelsea in 2022, but his time with the Blues has been far from successful. The midfielder has struggled to nail down a regular spot in the starting XI, and under Enzo Maresca, he has hardly featured. The 21-year-old has played five times this season, four of which have come in the UEFA Conference League and one in the EFL Cup. Not only has he not played in the league, but he has yet to make a matchday squad.
TBR Football now reports that Chelsea are prepared to let Chukwuemeka leave this month, ideally with a permanent sale, with them looking to get around £40 million for the player. There are several players that the Blues want to move on in this month, and Chukwuemeka is one of those who has interest from West Ham and his former club Aston Villa.
Apps
37
Goals
1
Assists
2
The Hammers want to sign a new midfielder, but the chances of them paying £40 million this month is said to be unrealistic. Chukwuemeka, who scored at the London Stadium against the Hammers last season, is very highly rated by former Chelsea man Marcel Desailly, as he labels the midfielder as “clinical.”
Desailly said of Chukwuemeka: “I like Carney Chukwuemeka because he is like an artist who comes onto the stage. He has got the ball. Now is my moment. Shine. You see the dribbling. He is sure about what he is going to do, and he is clinical. I love it.”
