'Wonderful, wonderful' - Jurgen Klopp already sent West Ham free agent transfer hint

West Ham United are in talks with former Liverpool defender Joel Matip over a potential free transfer to the London Stadium, despite the player's age and injury history.

The 33-year-old managed just 10 Premier League appearances for the Reds last season due to an ACL injury and left Anfield as a free agent at the end of the campaign. Matip is still without a club by Sky Sports reports that Julen Lopetegui could look to bring him to London.

Reporter Dharmesh Sheth took to social media platform X to write: "West Ham United are exploring the free agent market to bring in a central defender. Joel Matip & John Egan are two players they are looking at and talks are ongoing with their representatives as per @ExWHUEmployee."

That news comes after the Hammers allowed centre-back pair Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd to leave the club on loan deals last week. Lopetegui is breathing new life into his squad but is currently a little short of options at the heart of defence.

West Ham supporters will be well aware with Matip, who spent six years at Liverpool and won the Premier League and Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup in that time. Even if his playing time is limited, there is a lot that Matip could bring to West Ham, as the club will know thanks to former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp's parting message to the player this summer.

As the defender was announced to be leaving Anfield, Klopp said: “In all the years that I have been involved in football, I am not sure I have come across too many players who are more loved than Joel Matip. I’m not even sure it would be possible to say anything bad about him.

“A wonderful professional, a wonderful footballer and a wonderful human being – we have been blessed to have him with us for as long as we have and now all we can do is wish him well as he heads off in a new direction.

“Joel’s qualities as a player are there for all to see and as a club we have benefited from them since the first moment that he joined. I don’t think he has had too many headlines over the years but he has only ever been a very famous figure within our group."

Matip himself had remained coy about his future during the few times he was asked about his next steps in the sport. The former Schalke man had been tipped to make a return to Germany, an idea which seemed to tempt him.

Speaking late last year, Matip said: "Of course, Schalke was my youth club - as a Schalke fan it was an absolute honour to play there. I had the opportunity to do that for a long time and here in Liverpool, with these absolute top conditions, you don't just walk away.

"In addition, I also feel incredibly comfortable here in my private life. I think it's desirable not to change clubs all the time. But everyone has to decide for themselves. In any case, I find consistency helpful.

"I'm at an age where I don't think so much about the future anymore. I try to make the most of every day and don't look too far ahead. If it was only these two clubs in the end, I would be perfectly happy. But in football, you never know exactly."