West Ham United hold ‘initial’ talks for Torino defender Perr Schuurs
West Ham United have held initial talks with Torino for Dutch defender Perr Schuurs, according to 90min.
The 23-year-old has “impressed” since completing his move to Italy having previously been at Eredivisie giants Ajax (90min, 26 June).
The Hammers already have a “natural contact” with the Turin-based side, who are yet to take up an option to purchase Nikola Vlasic’s loan agreement.
Needed
A younger defender could well be a good option for David Moyes to look into during the summer window.
Moyes’ current defensive options are fairly strong. Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd formed an excellent partnership towards the end of the 2022/23 season. Thilo Kehrer also filled in and provided excellent cover when needed.
It feels as if transfer business – particularly incomings – will have to wait until Declan Rice’s future has been resolved. The 24-year-old’s destination is yet to be decided, with Manchester City and Arsenal both vying for his signature.
The Emirates has also appeared to be Rice’s preferred destination but it’s hard to envisage the midfielder completely shutting down the chance of moving to The Etihad.
At Manchester City – under Pep Guardiola’s stewardship – Rice would go on to be one of the best midfielders in European football. Furthermore, now that İlkay Gündoğan has joined Barcelona, there’s certainly room for Rice at the Premier League champions.
The onus is now very much on Arsenal to match the board’s demands. If they match the Hammers’ valuation, a move could be completed relatively quickly.
For West Ham, the sooner the better.