West Ham 'lead race' to seal £15m defender transfer swoop as Bundesliga deal collapses

It’s said to only be a matter of time before the Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka swaps out Old Trafford for the London Stadium.

The 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to West Ham for some time, and could be set to move back to the country’s capital, five years after leaving Crystal Palace for the Red Devils in a £50 million deal.

This is not the first time the Hammers have shown an interest in the English star -. West Ham had previously been interested in signing Wan-Bissaka on loan during Erik ten Hag’s first season as the Red Devils boss, and while the Mancunian club were then open to selling the English defender two years ago, they opted to keep hold of him following an improved spell of form.

According to fresh reports from Manchester Evening News, Manchester United are expecting Wan-Bissaka’s move to the Irons to go through imminently as they look to complete the signing of Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich. Despite being sold for £50m five years ago, Wan-Bissaka’s stock has significantly decreased and it is believed he could cost around £15 million (Sky Sports). GiveMeSport have also claimed that he could be available for just £10m.

Whether it’s £10m or even £15m, Wan-Bissaka could be an excellent signing for the Irons who are in desperate need of defensive restructuring. The club conceded 74 goals in 38 Premier League matches in the 2023/24 season and Julen Lopetegui will be hoping that the signing of Wan-Bissaka will mark a huge improvement on the current Irons’ right-back Vladimir Coufal.

The club have already acquired the ex-Wolves centre-back Max Kilman and with Wan-Bissaka’s arrival said to be imminent, Lopetegui’s defensive improvements are beginning to take significant shape. Wan-Bissaka - who Jamie Carragher previously described as the ‘best one-on-one defender in the world’ back in 2020 - has made 130 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils since joining the club in 2019. He previously represented DR Congo U20 before switching his national allegiance to England in 2018.

Wan-Bissaka has three England U21 appearances but has been linked with a switch back to represent DR Congo after struggling to compete with the likes of Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James for a place in the Three Lions squad.