An elite club has moved for one of West Ham’s best players and it’s ‘viable’ he’ll leave according to new reports.
Among the many targets West Ham have been linked with this summer several are left-backs.
The Hammers have been linked with free agent Ryan Sessegnon in recent weeks.
Spanish outlet Estadio Deportivo also report that West Ham are one of numerous clubs in for Real Betis left-back Juan Miranda.
Longstanding target Filip Kostic of Juventus is also reportedly back on West Ham’s radar.
Although an incident which left him in tears at the weekend may put paid to that.
Aaron Cresswell has also rather surprisingly been handed a new one-year deal by the Hammers.
West Ham’s curious left-back situation
It has been confirmed by a journalist with close contacts at the club that left-back is one of the positions West Ham want to strengthen in the window.
Now we might be about to find out why.
West Ham fans have been urging the club to bring in a young, modern, pacy new left-back for some time.
Emerson Palmieri has – after a difficult start – been excellent for West Ham.
Although his form did tail off again in the last few months of the season. And he turns 30 soon.
Now it has emerged that an elite club has launched a move for one of West Ham’s best players and it’s ‘viable’ he’ll leave.
Milan move for Emerson and it’s ‘viable’ he’ll leave
According to Italian transfer reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, last night AC Milan approached West Ham in a ‘concrete move’ to sign Emerson.
Not only that, Di Marzio claims Milan believe Emerson would be open to the move, describing a deal as a ‘viable path’.
Milan are anticipating the possibility of having to sell Theo Hernandez.
And Di Marzio highlights the fact Italy international Emerson has spent four years in Italy previously with Palermo and Roma.
On the face of it West Ham would want to hold on to Emerson.
But analysing this report through the lens of Tim Steidten’s new West Ham transfer strategy, perhaps it makes sense.
Could West Ham be open to sale as part of revamp?
West Ham have a depreciating asset on their hands who will soon be 30.
Emerson has been excellent for around a year of his two years with the club so far.
He started poorly but came into his own in the second half of the season as West Ham stayed up and won the Europa Conference League in the 2022/23 campaign.
Emerson carried on where he left off at the start of last season. But his form dropped off again.
Steidten has made it clear when unveiling new signing Luis Guilherme that he is building West Ham around young, exciting players.
In fact he even promised Guilherme he would be surrounded by them.
So maybe West Ham will take a pragmatic approach to the Emerson interest.
They could sell him for a decent fee for a player his age and reinvest that in a younger left-back who can be with the club for the next four or five years.
With interest in Sessegnon and Miranda, that might be the plan. Especially as Cresswell has been signed up for a 10th season.
Previously West Ham might have worried about the potential impact Emerson leaving might have on Paqueta, given how close they and their families are.
But if he beats the case against him he will likely be sold and if he doesn’t he’ll be banned. So that is not really a consideration the Hammers need to make.
It certainly sounds like a situation to watch closely.