West Ham United are reportedly targeting an extremely exciting double deal in the summer transfer window.
West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui and director of football Tim Steidten have made a solid start to the summer transfer window, with the signings of Luis Guilherme and Wes Foderingham all done and dusted.
The Hammers transfer team still have a lot of work to do though, with a bare minimum of six new signings needed at the London Stadium.
The squad left behind by David Moyes is one littered with elite performers but in general, it’s an unbalanced mish-mash of ageing players.
Lopetegui has to address numerous weaknesses in his squad this summer, specifically by signing a top-class central defender and a high quality striker.
The Spaniard has a £90 million budget to play with, excluding player sales, and £25 million of that has already been spent on Guilherme.
West Ham are said to be keen to sell Nayef Aguerd, and the Moroccan should raise £20-25 million, whilst Danny Ings, Flynn Downes and Michail Antonio could leave the club as well.
So Lopetegui should have a fair bit of cash to play with this summer, and he apparently has two unbelievably exciting signings lined up…
West Ham target incredibly exciting double deal
Whatever else happens this summer, the Hammers boss absolutely has to sign a centre-back and a striker.
Lopetegui cannot afford to head into the new season without doing exactly that.
Fortunately, it seems like those are the two positions that he is prioritising strengthening right now.
And according to the Evening Standard, we could be set for one seriously exciting summer ahead.
That’s because they’re claiming that Lopetegui has two exceptionally gifted priority transfer targets lined up this summer – one from the Premier League and one from Ligue 1.
It is suggested that the Hammers boss is first lining up a move to sign centre-back Max Kilman from Wolves.
Wolves are believed to have slapped a £40 million asking price on the 27-year-old’s head (C&H), and West Ham are allegedly prepared to go to about £35 million.
So the two clubs will probably end up meeting somewhere in the middle.
Kilman would be a brilliant signing for West Ham.
He was a brilliant performer for Wolves last season, and possesses all of the qualities that we currently lack in the heart of our defence.
The Wolves ace is really strong in the air, commands his back-line with authority and is a well-renowned leader as well – he’s the current captain of Wolves don’t forget.
In 37 Premier League appearances for Wolves last season, the 27-year-old averaged 1.3 tackles, one interception, 4.8 clearances and 2.6 successful aerial duels.
He made 60.3 passes per game and recorded a completion rate of 86% (Who Scored).
In my mind, Kilman is the perfect upgrade on Nayef Aguerd due to the fact that he’s left-footed and is a far superior defender to the Moroccan.
However, Lopetegui not only has his eyes set on his former player this summer, but a sensationally gifted striker as well.
Stunning striker on Hammers radar
Jonathan David is a key target for West Ham according to the Evening Standard.
The 24-year-old Lille ace is an incredible footballer, and he would take our attacking play to a whole new level entirely.
The Canadian is absolutely rapid, I’m talking pace like we haven’t seen at West Ham for quite some time.
Imagine David playing in the middle of Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus, with Lucas Paqueta behind him! Wow, just wow.
The 24-year-old bagged a really impressive 26 goals and nine assists in 47 games in all competitions for Lille last season.
He also has 26 goals in 48 international games for Canada to his name. Now he finally could be set for a big move to West Ham.
The striker is apparently available for just £25 million this summer as well.
So there you have it, for roughly £60-65 million, West Ham could sign two elite players, and lock down the vital centre-back and centre-forward positions for years to come.
Signing the defender and the striker in a brilliantly exciting double deal seems to me like an absolute no-brainer for West Ham, and Lopetegui, Steidten and co should be working to get the deals done quickly.
The Hammers’ pre-season campaign begins on July 20th, with a clash against Dagenham and Redbridge.
Lopetegui will want to get at least two or three more deals done before that date.
And if he manages to bring Kilman and David to the London Stadium, we’ll be in for a seriously exciting 2024/25 season.
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