West Ham United hold talks with Baris Alper Yilmaz as contract regret emerges
Baris Alper Yilmaz and his agent, Tuncay Maldan, have held talks with West Ham representatives in London recently, according to Fotospor.
The Turkish outlet reported [31 July] that the 24-year-old and his agent met with the Hammers and Liverpool, now regretting his decision to extend his contract with Galatasaray before Euro 2024.
Yilmaz believes he was offered far too little before putting pen to paper on his new deal, with his current wage rising from £164,500-a-year to £376,000-a-year.
West Ham United hold talks with Baris Alper Yilmaz
The Hammers can certainly take advantage of the player’s current contract situation, with the Euro 2024 star wanting a much better wage than what he signed.
The 24-year-old winger had notched just 11 goals in 108 appearances for the Turkish side before the European tournament this summer, but that did not stop multiple clubs from taking an interest.
And while he was unable to add to his international record of two goals in 20 caps, many clubs around Europe were impressed by his all-round play as Turkey reached the quarter-finals.
Though they were eventually knocked out by the Netherlands, his displays did his future transfer no harm, and it looks like he could be set to move to the London Stadium.
The player was spotted visiting London earlier this month [Ajansspor, 20 July], though his reason for the visit was unknown at the time.
Yilmaz has also been learning English in hopes of a Premier League move, with all the pieces of the puzzle coming together this summer [Ilkhaber Gazetesi].
With the Hammers now holding talks with the winger, it has become much clearer that Julen Lopetegui could add him to the attacking ranks at the London Stadium.
Given his ability to play anywhere across the frontline, he could provide a solid striker option to work fluidly next to the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus.
In other West Ham news, Tammy Abraham has made a decision ahead of a possible move to the London Stadium.
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