West Ham 'in talks' with £30m midfielder as 'agreement reached' with £4m defender - round-up
Graham Potter and West Ham are making moves to add a new midfielder and defender to the squad.
West Ham are beginning to get their transfer window underway after a slow start to summer spending at the London Stadium.
The sale of Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham Hotspur for £55 million injected some much needed funds and Graham Potter is now starting to shape his Hammers team for the season ahead.
The former Brighton and Chelsea manager is yet to inspire a lot of confidence from West Ham supporters but the arrivals of El Hadji Malick Diouf and Kyle Walker-Peters have been cause for optimism.
West Ham in talks with ‘creative midfielder’
West Ham are still expected to be in the market for a striker this summer, following the end of Evan Ferguson’s loan from Brighton. The Hammers were never linked with a return move for the 20-year-old, who failed to score for the club, and he is now on the verge of a move to AS Roma.
In two updates provided by transfer specialist Sebastien Vidal on social media platform X, it appears that West Ham are also making moves for a midfielder and a defender. The London outfit need extra back-up in the centre of the park following the end of Carlos Soler’s loan spell.
Potter was forced to recall James Ward-Prowse from his loan spell at Nottingham Forest last season too and Shakhtar Donetsk man Georgiy Sudakov has emerged as a target. The 22-year-old is a Ukrainian international and has made 140 appearances for Donetsk.
Sudakov would bring Champions League and Europa League experience to West Ham. Vidal wrote: “West Ham have opened initial talks to sign Georgiy Sudakov from Shakhtar Donetsk. The creative midfielder is valued at £30m. The Hammers are looking to accelerate the deal.”
‘Verbal agreement’ reached with centre-back
Meanwhile, the Hammers also appear to be keen to add a new centre-back to the squad. The club spent £40 million on bringing Max Kilman in from Wolves to reunite with former manager Julen Lopetegui last summer and have already made the loan of Jean-Clair Todibo permanent this summer.
Nayef Aguerd is tipped to leave the London Stadium and could be replaced by 22-year-old Albian Hajdari. That is a move that would make sense with Potter’s desire to add youth to his team and Vidal believes that a deal for the defender is well underway.
He wrote: “West Ham have reached a verbal agreement with Albian Hajdari. The 22-year-old FC Lugano centre-back is keen on the Hammers’ project. Release clause: £4.3m. Deal is progressing but not yet complete.”
The defender is a product of the Juventus youth system but never made a first team appearance for the Serie A giants with loan spells to Basel and FC Lugano.
In other news, West Ham target £35m Leicester City keeper as Marti Cifuentes eyes 'fantastic' QPR reunion.