West Ham United must act fast to sign Max Aarons as Sky Sports shares transfer update on Norwich future
Norwich City are preparing to field several bids on West Ham United target Max Aarons, according to Sky Sports News, and the Hammers must move fast to secure his signature.
Sky Sports shared on 20 July (16:41pm) that Aarons is due back at Norwich’s on Friday (21 July) after an extended break but is likely to leave the Championship club this summer, with a Premier League move now on the horizon.
The Hammers have long been linked to Aarons, according to talkSPORT on 30 June, and it appears their interest in bringing him to the club remains strong.
It was shared in the Daily Mail [19 July] that West Ham would be targeting younger full-backs, and Aarons fits that mould.
The Canaries right-back’s contract isn’t set to expire until the end of next season, but after personally confirming that he will be departing during the ongoing window, clubs have been alerted to his availability ahead of the new term.
Throughout the England Under-21 international’s five-year tenure at Carrow Road, Aarons had propelled himself to become a key component and arguably amongst the club’s finest players, with the full-back garnering plenty of interest from Premier League sides for a long while, but no such move had materialised.
Most notably, Aarons was linked with a move to Bayern Munich by Sky Sports in 2021, while he has also been courted by Arsenal and Manchester United according to The Sun in 2022.
Five years on from his debut at Carrow Road, it now finally looks as if the fleet-footed defender is moving on to pastures new.
Given West Ham United’s need for defensive reinforcements at right-back, with Ben Johnson seemingly set to depart East London, (ExWHUemployee, 29 June) Moyes will be desperate for a player capable of challenging Vladimir Coufal for a starting spot, and there may be no better option out there than Aarons.
During his 44 Championship starts last season, Carrow Road’s academy graduate, dubbed “outstanding” by former teammate Jon Newsome, established himself as David Wagner’s both third defensive and offensive best-performing player, showcasing why he is finally ready for a permanent Premier League berth elsewhere.
The 23-year-old made a total of 84 tackles last season which was more than any other member of his squad, via FBRef, alongside averaging 1.4 clearances per second-tier game, but he was also a threat going forward.
Aarons also ranked in the 99th percentile for progressive carries and successfully completed 75% of dribbles last term [SofaScore], highlighting his incredible dribbling qualities when taking on his marker and when making it into the opposition’s box or final third, he whipped an astonishing 102 crosses into the area which was the second-highest number in the squad.
The England under-21 2023 European Championship winner has been ready for regular Premier League action for a long while now, and it’s shown through the previous interest from clubs like Manchester United and German champions Bayern Munich.
With Norwich now braced for several bids this summer, West Ham United would be foolish not to get involved in the auction for his services.
In other West Ham news, the winner has been named in the £25million Hammers and Wolves race to seal a first-team signing this summer.