West Ham United have been in touch with the representatives of a £30m+ attacking star ahead of a possible move to the London Stadium.
West Ham’s summer signings so far
New manager Julen Lopetegui and technical director Tim Steidten have already brought in two new players this summer, with plenty of change expected ahead of Lopetegui’s first season in charge.
Teenager winger Luis Guilherme was the first to arrive from Palmeiras, with the Brazilian costing around £25m. Experienced goalkeeper Wes Foderingham has also recently signed Hammers terms after he left Sheffield United upon his contract expiry.
West Ham willing to move for "devastating" forward compared to Salah
He’s valued at up to £30m.
ByCharlie Smith
Now, more signings are wanted. West Ham are hoping to seal a deal for Wolves centre-back Max Kilman, whereas further attacking additions are wanted alongside Guilherme.
Former Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, now at Galatasaray, and Fluminense forward Jhon Arias are two players who the Irons have reportedly bid for, whereas the club have also made it clear they are open to signing Albert Gudmundsson from Genoa. Talks have also been held for Lille striker Jonathan David, but a new final third target has emerged in Hull City’s Jaden Philogene.
West Ham make Jaden Philogene contact – Fabrizio Romano
Speaking on his Here We Go podcast, relayed by GiveMeSport, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed that West Ham, as well as Ipswich Town, have already made contact with Philogene’s representatives to understand the conditions of any transfer. He also added that Aston Villa have a clause to match any bid for the winger after selling him to Hull.
"There is also interest from several Premier League clubs, especially from West Ham and Ipswich Town. These two clubs have already reached out to the player's side to understand the conditions of the deal in this case.
"Remember that the player, in the future, will have a possibility to return to Aston Villa. Villa have a matching clause into the contract of Philogene, so they have the possibility in the future to bring the player back. Let's see what's going to happen in terms of negotiations, but for sure, it's going to be one to watch in the next few weeks."
Hull City signed Philogene from Aston Villa in a permanent transfer last year, costing around £5m, and it has been claimed in recent months by Hull owner Acun Ilicali that an asking price would be more than £30m.
“This will be our policy. Just like Real Madrid bought Arda Güler. We can guess how much he will be from now on. We need to catch players like that. We got Jaden Philogene for £5m, now it’s £30m, but we have no intention of selling for £30m.”
Barcelona have also been heavily linked with a move for the 22-year-old, holding talks for a possible shock deal, with Philogene starring in the Championship last season. The Hammers could be ones to watch in any transfer race for the winger, who scored 12 goals and provided six assists in 32 appearances last season, resulting in his Transfermarkt valuation rocketing to a career-high €15m.
