West Ham United transfer news as Ian Maatsen lined up as Aaron Cresswell replacement
West Ham are hoping to replace the outgoing Aaron Cresswell with Chelsea’s Ian Maatsen as they look to add youth to their squad, according to the Guardian.
Reports began to surface on July 19 that Cresswell would likely be leaving the London Stadium amid interest from Premier League rivals Wolves and the Guardian report that the Hammers would like to replace the ageing defender with the Chelsea left-back.
Maatsen spent last season on loan with Championship winners Burnley, impressing from defence scoring four goals and assisting a further six times as Vincent Kompany’s side ran away with the title and it is understood they still hold an interest in securing the services of the Dutchman this summer.
Discussing the race for his signature, they wrote: “West Ham are open to selling Cresswell, who joined from Ipswich in 2014, but are not happy an opening bid of £2.5m from Wolves and are expected to demand about £5m.
“West Ham are looking to add more youth. Chelsea have not made a decision on Maatsen’s future and the 21-year-old has made a positive impression on the head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, in pre-season.
“Chelsea’s asking price for Maatsen of about £20m could be a problem for Burnley. Nottingham Forest are tracking Maatsen and there is interest from overseas. West Ham’s technical director, Tim Steidten, has shortlisted Maatsen and they could make their move if Cresswell departs.”
A natural progression
Cresswell’s eight-year stay in East London can’t be undervalued, he has managed to be a consistent performer across his nearly 350 appearances in Claret and Blue where he has won European titles as well as dodged relegation. But this feels like a wise shift by the Irons.
Any deal that sees Maatsen head to West Ham will represent the next stage of the rebuild that Moyes is attempting to lead at the London Stadium, where especially their backline has been quickly ageing he could breathe new life into the Hammers’ defence.
While £20m feels slightly steep for a player who has yet to establish or test himself in the top-flight, that is now the nature of buying young prospects from England’s second tier, as demonstrated by the asking price for former West Ham target Alex Scott.
Furthermore, Chelsea will know that West Ham have money in their pocket after selling Declan Rice to Arsenal for a fee in excess of £100m, while that may see them ask for the Irons to pay a little extra, it may allow them to beat the likes of Burnley and West Ham to his signature.
In other West Ham news, Inter Milan have been offered the opportunity to sign out of favour West Ham striker