West Ham deal all but done to sign Sean Moore, hefty sell-on clause to be written into contract
West Ham United have a deal all but done to sign Cliftonville’s “teenage sensation” Sean Moore in the summer transfer window, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
The Northern Irish newspaper reported on Sunday (23 April) that the Irons will pay an initial fee of £170,000 for the 17-year-old winger but due to add-ons, that fee could rise to £500,000.
It is understood that a “hefty sell-on clause” is also expected to be tied into Moore’s contract at the London Stadium.
The Belfast Telegraph claims West Ham beat Brighton, Everton, Newcastle, Ipswich and Celtic to the signing of the Republic of Ireland Under-19 international, who’s also eligible to play for Northern Ireland and is at the centre of a tug-of-war between the two FAs.
Getting the business done
It remains to be seen whether or not Moore will be in the West Ham first team next season because he’s already got plenty of experience in senior football in Northern Ireland.
The teenager, who’ll turn 18 in August, has played 35 times for the Cliftonville first team, with 34 of those appearances coming in all competitions this season.
He’s scored five goals and supplied three assists in the Danske Bank Premiership, with two of them coming in February to secure a 2-1 win over Glentoran.
Moore seems to be good enough to at least play in West Ham’s Under-21s squad next season and who knows? If we have a Europa League campaign to play in next term, he may well be involved in that squad.
He could also be a useful player for the Championship if we do go down – but let’s not go down that route just yet when we have Bournemouth to play on Sunday (23 April).