Report: West Ham to make bid for midfielder this weekend
New West Ham United manager David Moyes seems to have got right into the swing of things in regards to the January transfer window.
That’s if you believe everything you read, of course. And while not all of the rumours surrounding the Hammers will be entirely factual, there certainly appears to be real activity going on at the London Stadium.
Indeed, they will be very busy over this weekend, it seems. That’s because Football Insider reported on Saturday that a £10million+ bid for Genk midfielder Sander Berge will go in on either Saturday or Sunday.
The east London outfit are said to have made central midfield a priority this month and are working through a list of targets.
And they have received indications from Belgium that Genk are open to selling the Norwegian international in this window.
His contract expires in 18 months and so he shouldn’t command a huge fee, with a formal bid from the Irons set to be launched soon.
West Ham Zone’s View
You can see why Moyes has made central midfield a priority this month. Declan Rice and Mark Noble are the only two reliable players he has at the position.
Carlos Sanchez is old and a liability, while Conor Coventry is just 19 years of age. A quality central midfielder to come in and compete with the aforementioned starting duo, and to eventually replace the latter, is key.
Berge could be that man. His performances in the Champions League this season suggest that he has the ability to play at a really high level.
He averaged 1.5 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 2.2 clearances per game, while maintaining a pass success rate of 84.4%. Plus, he’s only 21-years-old. Pairing him with Rice would have the Hammers set in the middle of the park for the next decade.
In other West Ham news, the club are reportedly preparing to offer a new contract to a youngster starring out on loan.