West Ham United dealt transfer blow as London Stadium-linked Charles De Ketelaere update emerges

West Ham have seemingly focused all of their energy in the current summer transfer window on signing a new defensive midfielder.

And that is certainly understandable given the sale of Declan Rice, with the former Hammers captain moving to Premier League rivals Arsenal in a £105million move.

West Ham fans will have been watching on painfully as their ex-midfield maestro played a key role in Arsenal’s Community Shield victory over Manchester City on Sunday (6 August).

Making the whole situation even more painful is the fact that the East London club have yet to replace Rice, with the new season rapidly approaching.

The club were, however, reportedly also interested in bringing a new attacking midfielder to the London Stadium this summer in the form of AC Milan ace Charles De Ketelaere.

According to Pianeta Milan (4 July), the Hammers wanted to sign the 22-year-old on loan, or for at least €30million (£25.6million) if permanent.

But any such deal can now well and truly be forgotten about, with the Belgium international agreeing a deal to move to Serie A side Atalanta, according to journalist Rudy Galetti (6 August).

The attacking midfielder would have needed to improve upon his zero goals and just one assist from last season, but there is every chance he could have achieved that at the London Stadium, with fresh starts like that often working wonders for young players.

Unfortunately for West Ham, the fresh start will not come in claret and blue, with De Ketelaere instead opting to try his luck at a different club in Serie A, following his initial move to the league from Club Brugge last summer. 

In other West Ham news, a BBC journalist has namedropped Premier League giants Chelsea in a Hammers summer transfer verdict.