West Ham want Liverpool star who is 'unwilling to sign new contract'

West Ham are said to be interested in a Premier League goalkeeper as they look to improve their squad significantly over the course of the coming summer. The Hammers are now in 17th place and still struggling to muster up any kind of momentum under Graham Potter, who has not been able to change the team’s fortunes in his early months in charge.

There is an understanding that Potter will get to start next season regardless of results this season, at which time he will have his own squad to work with rather than one made for Julen Lopetegui’s style, but Potter’s lack of results has surely set him up for a nervy start to next season, given the Hammers board will now be less receptive to teething issues at the start of the next campaign.

In the meantime, new signings will be made this season, and a number of reported targets have already been linked. One of the latest is Liverpool’s number two goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, who has been a steady option for the Reds behind leading keeper Alisson Becker.

But at 26 years of age, Kelleher wants to be a Premier League starter, and the arrival of Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia this summer could see him become a number three. Football Insider claim that Kelleher is ‘not willing’ to sign a new contract ahead of his current deal expiring in the summer of 2026, and in truth, while Liverpool like the goalkeeper, it might suit them given Mamardashvili can be their new number two and they can bring in a sizable fee for Kelleher in the process. The report claims the Anfield club would ask for between £30million and £40million.

Meanwhile, The Sun report that West ham are interested in striking a deal, keen to add competition for Alphonse Areola, with Lukasz Fabianski likely to depart at the end of his contract this summer, although the Irons do have an option to extend by a further year.

Speaking earlier this season, Kelleher said of his situation: “Obviously my intention is to do as well as I can and show my ability. That is where my head is at with the situation. The best thing I can do is go and play well and maybe give the manager something to think about, give him a headache.

“But it does work both ways. I played so many times last season – and if you do well your valuation goes up because obviously the club is going to want a good profit. I was clear (in the summer) that I wanted to play first-team football, whether that was here or elsewhere. I wanted to be a No.1. That was my thought process – but it’s always been my thought process because obviously I am a football player and like every player, I want to play. I’m not going to enjoy myself or be happy sitting on the bench.”

West Ham may be keen, but they will likely want a fee lower than £40million given Kelleher does not have long left on his contract and clearly wants to move on.

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