West Ham reunion could be ‘imminent’ for 32-time England international

West Ham United are edging closer to a deal to sign a former fan favourite.

The Hammers have signed a number of exciting names this season after the big-money sale of Declan Rice.

David Moyes has filled the midfield with fresh talent in the form of James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudos.

But a fourth midfielder could be on the way to the London Stadium as West Ham once again embark on a European journey.

Former Hammer Jesse Lingard has been training with his old teammates for several weeks and he remains a free agent after his departure from Nottingham Forest at the end of last season.

Lingard struggled for form at the City Ground and failed to score or register a single assist last season, but he is remembered fondly at West Ham for his successful loan spell in 2020/21, which saw him score nine goals in 15 games.

Moyes has hinted at a potential deal for the player in a recent interview on TalkSport and claims that Lingard has improved his fitness greatly while training with West Ham.

Moyes said: “He’s in really good condition – much better condition than he was when he first came in.

“I have to say, when Jesse joined us two years ago I think he scored nine goals in 15 games and was probably the difference between us getting into Europe for the first time.

“I want to give him every opportunity to get himself back in condition and see how he does.

"So there’s no real update on it at the moment, just to say that he’s back and getting much closer to the levels of fitness where you’d hope he would be.”

West Ham will need to make a decision on the player in the coming days if they are to successfully register him in their Premier League squad and football journalist Dean Jones believes a deal is imminent.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones said: “They’re making a very full assessment of it. Obviously, they’ve been getting a close-up look at him in training and also in games behind closed doors. I don’t think a decision is very far away and it might even be at the back end of this week.”