West Ham United now in fight to seal Ivan Fresneda transfer
West Ham are in the fight to sign Valladolid right-back Ivan Fresneda, after Crystal Palace opened talks with the Spanish club with a view to making an offer, according to Marca Valladolid.
The Spanish news outlet reported on 23 August that Crystal Palace have begun talks with Fresneda, but West Ham, Sporting CP and Chelsea are still in the fight to sign him.
The 18-year-old full-back already has plenty of experience to his name, after making 22 La Liga appearances last season, and rejected a move to Arsenal in January as he wanted to play regular football [Evening Standard, 1 February].
A focus on younger talent
It was reported by the Daily Mail earlier in the transfer window [19 July] that West Ham are targeting younger options in the full-back positions as they look to improve the standard of their squad, with Fresneda certainly fitting into that mould.
He is a typical Spanish player, very comfortable on the ball and in possession, with great positional awareness, timing of movement, and an ability to drift infield, pick up possession, and distribute the ball to his teammates.
The links with Arsenal and Chelsea should indicate to West Ham fans just how highly-rated the defender is, and how much of a coup he would be should he arrive at the London Stadium this summer.
West Ham’s current options at right-back are Vladimir Coufal and Ben Johnson, both of whom have been linked with moves away from the club this summer. Johnson doesn’t seem to be particularly highly rated by Moyes, while Coufal is 31 years old, so a younger option could be the right move.
In other West Ham news, a source has told Sky Sports about the latest Kudus twist.