West Ham United transfer news: Trevoh Chalobah may now have to stay at Chelsea, deal in works for Manchester City man
West Ham are looking to bring in a centre-back this summer and are after targets from Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United, The Guardian reports.
While Harry Maguire has so far proven impossible to sign on loan from Old Trafford, a deal is reportedly in the works for England under-21 captain Taylor Harwood-Bellis from the Etihad.
However, amid parallel interest in his exit-bound Stamford Bridge teammate Conor Gallagher it may now not be possible to sign Trevoh Chalobah.
According to Jacob Steinberg in The Guardian on Monday (24 July) the 24-year-old is also wanted by Inter, but both clubs could be disappointed in their pursuit as the English defender may have to stay thanks to injury to Wesley Fofana.
Chelsea confirmed that the Frenchman, 22, had undergone ACL reconstruction surgery on 18 July, and that potentially bumps Chalobah up the pecking order for Mauricio Pochettino and out of the reach of West Ham.
Wide net
As with the attempts to find replacements for Declan Rice in midfield the Irons have gone after a host of defensive targets at the same time.
That in itself isn’t a bad thing, but the fact that there doesn’t seem to be a particular order of who the club wants most in their transfer pursuits suggests a lack of clear planning.
There is reportedly a divide behind the scenes at the London Stadium over whether domestic or foreign-based targets should be targeted [Mail Plus, 24 July], but all three defender options are in the Premier League.
It appears that Harwood-Bellis, who shone on loan at Burnley in the Championship last term and led the England under-21s to European Championship glory this summer, may be the most likely arrival.
The 21-year-old has no experience yet in the Premier League but appears primed to make the step up on a regular basis.
Chalobah looks very much like a player who isn’t long for Chelsea, even if he stays past the end of the current window, so could end up following Emerson across London sooner or later.
But Fofana’s injury looks like it may have had knock-on effects in the east of the capital though just as it already has in the west, as West Ham would surely have to up any offer to sign him now.
In other West Ham news, an “extraordinary” developments has seen a likely Irons deal change thanks to a big “twist”.