West Ham United transfer news as Ben Johnson and Pablo Fornals could seal deadline day exits
West Ham United duo Pablo Fornals and Ben Johnson could be set for London Stadium departures on deadline day, according to journalist Jordan Davies.
According to The Sun journalist, taking to his personal Twitter account (1 September), Fornals and Johnson along with Maxwel Cornet and Danny Ings could all exit before the 11pm deadline but the Hammers want permanent transfers.
Both Johnson and Fornals have been the subject of much interest over the past days and weeks with Southampton (Mike McGrath, 1 September) attempting to complete a last-minute deal for the defender while La Liga outfit Sevilla have recently targeted the Spaniard (Mundo Deportivo, 22 August).
Johnson has fallen down the pecking order at the London Stadium and has not been able to agree a new contract with the Irons, while West Ham United are seeking late attacker signings which could see Fornals depart with just a year left on his contract.
Davies tweeted on Friday: “Forwards Kostic, Ekitike and En-Nesyri all targets but Deadline Day deal unlikely.
“Tim Steidten was in Brazil to try for Corinthians’ Yuri Alberto but returned empty-handed.
“Potential outgoings include Ings, Cornet, Fornals and Johnson, but only if permanent.”
Replacements needed
David Moyes admitted he did not want to let the academy graduate Johnson depart the club, stating, as quoted by Tribal Football (25 August) but with his first team opportunities limited, it’s clear his future lies elsewhere.
The 23-year-old is yet to make an appearance for West Ham this season but made 17 total appearances in the Premier League last season and eight in their Europa Conference League-winning campaign.
However, should he depart East London before the deadline, it’s unlikely the Hammers will have a potential replacement line-up with Vladimir Coufal the only out-an-out right-back available to Moyes.
The same could go for Fornals, but with West Ham United actively attempting to sign Juventus forward Filip Kostic, the Spaniard has seemingly been given a clear route to depart the club.
The Spaniard has proven a crucial tool for David Moyes on several occasions over the past two campaigns but with his contract having just a year to run, the East Londoners could well be tempted to cash in on him this summer.
But whether a European side comes in with an attractive offer is another matter entirely, Fornals is certainly the most likely to remain.
In other West Ham news, an unnamed Saudi club have made an offer to the Hammers for a £24million-plus valued star.