West Ham United have already secured their first signing of the summer, bringing Luis Guilherme to the London Stadium from Palmeiras.
The Hammers aren’t expected to stop there, and there’s a good chance we will see some more incomings – and some outgoings – in the next two-and-a-half months.
West Ham will be especially eager to give new manager Julen Lopetegui what he needs to ensure the club can bounce back after an underwhelming 2023/24 campaign.
Defence is an area the Hammers could look to bolster, and a report has now emerged claiming Lopetegui is now looking at a player on the books at Barcelona.
The player in question is Clement Lenglet, who is out of favour at the Camp Nou and is being earmarked for a summer departure.
According to Sport, West Ham and Borussia Dortmund are interested in the 28-year-old. However, neither would be willing to cover his full wages.
For context, Lenglet agreed to defer part of his wages at Barcelona during the height of the pandemic four years ago.
Sport have reported that the defender has rejected a move to Saudi Arabia, and also rejected the offer to rescind his contract, which would see him losing the deferred wages he’s owed.
When Lenglet was on loan at Tottenham and Aston Villa, Barcelona continued to pay a percentage of his salary, likely part of what they owed him from previous years.
The report claims that Lenglet would accept a similar move again. With that in mind, West Ham could well look for a similar arrangement in signing him on loan.
West Ham would be getting a solid defensive option in Clement Lenglet
Although Lenglet didn’t pull up any trees at Tottenham and Aston Villa, it’s not as though he did badly.
At 28, he’s in his prime as a defender, and his quality and experience – both in the game and in the Premier League – would make him a good shout for West Ham.
France manager Didier Deschamps rated Lenglet highly some years ago, telling reporters, as per football.london: “He has a lot of serenity, assurance and technical ease.
“He’s calm on the ball. Without being very big, he is also effective in duels and knows how to anticipate. He’s still improving but he gives off a lot of confidence.”
Although Lenglet hasn’t quite managed to remain at the very top of the game, he’s still a decent player who has shown he can cut it in the Premier League.