West Ham United make move for Lyon star Jake O’Brien as £17m development emerges
Lyon have slapped a £17million asking price on defender Jake O’Brien afer West Ham made contact over a transfer, according to The Athletic.
Writing on their website (2 July), the news outlet report that the Hammers have the Irish defender on a shortlist of targets to strengthen their defence this summer.
Fabrizio Romano says contact has already been made (28 June), but with Everton and Nottingham Forest also showing interest in getting a deal done, the Ligue 1 giants are demanding £17m to let him leave with Crystal Palace entitled to 25% of anything they receive above £1m due to a sell-on clause.
West Ham need defensive reinforcements this summer
Defence is an area of the pitch at the London Stadium that is desperate for rebuilding and rebalancing, so it makes sense that a number of options are being eyed.
Max Kilman seems to be the top target, with Lopetegui even keen to make him captain [GiveMeSport, 1 July] as Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd’s futures remain up in the air [Hakim Zhouri, 11 May].
But other defenders have been linked too, including O’Brien, and it’s obvious that Tim Steidten is hard at work to bring players in and bolster Lopetegui’s squad.
The quicker any deals can be done the better as it will allow the new manager more time to implement his style and ideas on the squad, but transfers are never that easy to do and are rarely that straightforward.
However, the club now know what it will take to get a deal over the line and that means it could all kick off quickly so it’s one to keep an eye on for sure.
In other West Ham news, a major update on Mohammed Kudus’ release clause has emerged.
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