West Ham United have been keen on a move to sign Wolves defender Max Kilman for quite some time now.
Max Kilman is believed to be the number one centre-back target for West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui this summer, and the Hammers boss is even prepared to send a player the opposite way in a bid to sweeten the deal.
Signing a new central defender is undoubtedly one of the chief priorities for Lopetegui this summer, alongside the long awaited addition of a top-class centre-forward of course.
Having already signed Luis Guilherme and Wes Foderingham, a move to bring a central defender to the London Stadium will most likely be the next port of call for the West Ham manager.
A move for Kilman was recently thrown into doubt when it emerged that we may have a new target, after Chelsea offered Trevoh Chalobah to us.
I would genuinely take either of those players, but the Chelsea man would certainly be a lot cheaper than the Wolves ace.
Whatever happens, Lopetegui, and Tim Steidten of course, must ensure that our defence is stronger heading into the 2024/25 campaign than it was last season.
That will clearly happen, after last term’s atrocious record of 74 Premier League goals conceded. Lopetegui obviously won’t stand for poor defensive performances like that, and Kilman is a man who would solve a lot of our issues.
There has been a big twist though it seems.
Max Kilman twist emerges as West Ham make new call
Numerous centre-backs have been linked with a move to the London Stadium this summer.
Nehuen Perez, Riccardo Calafiori and Brazilian Vitao have all been mentioned as potential suitors for the Hammers.
Kilman is the one name who has been a constant throughout the summer transfer window though, regarding being linked with West Ham.
However, according to The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg, West Ham may now opt a different tack regarding a potential move to sign Max Kilman this summer.
Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui is quite clearly a huge fan of the 27-year-old, having had him as his club captain during his spell in charge at Wolves.
I totally get why Lopetegui wants to sign him – he’s a top-class, Premier League proven centre-back who’s dominant in the air and leads with authority from the back.
However, there’s a problem according to Steinberg.
Hammers hit brick wall
The top West Ham source claims that we may now abandon our move to sign Kilman due to Wolves’ £45 million asking price for him.
In all fairness, I don’t blame the club for making that decision.
If the 27-year-old will cost £45 million and someone like Trevoh Chalobah is up for grabs for £25 million, I would take the Chelsea man all day long.
West Ham do not have infinite money to spend this summer, with only £90 million available to Lopetegui, excluding player sales.
So spending half of his war-chest on one player would seem a little silly. Exiting the race for Kilman due to his price-tag certainly makes sense.
That said, Steinberg has claimed before that the Hammers have abandoned moves to sign certain players, before they eventually ended up joining us anyway.
The most recent case of that was when the Guardian journalist said the Luis Guilherme deal was off, only for the exact opposite to happen not long after.
So I think we need to just let this one play out and see what happens.
I just can’t see a deal for West Ham to sign Max Kilman happening unless Wolves lower their demands to £37-40 million, including add-ons.
Anything more than that and it just wouldn’t be a transfer that makes sense for the Hammers.
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