West Ham United want to seal Jaka Bijol deal as £19.8m transfer update emerges

West Ham are interested in signing Udinese centre-back Jaka Bijol, according to Messaggero Veneto.

The Italian newspaper reported via its website [7 August] that the Serie A club are looking for £19.8million to sell their 25-year-old defender, with Bologna already pulling out of a deal.

It is understood that the most danger comes from the Premier League this summer, with the Hammers joined by Nottingham Forest in the transfer race, as well as Stuttgart and Wolfsburg.

The London club have also been linked with his teammate, Nehuen Perez, as per talkSPORT [11 June], but those links seem to have gone cold since earlier in the summer transfer window.

West Ham United widen centre-back search as Jaka Bijol targeted

Julen Lopetegui has made it clear that he wants a new centre-back before the transfer window closes, and the news surrounding Kurt Zouma has made this target even more important.

According to The Guardian [8 August], the Frenchman is set to jet out to UAE side Pro League side Shabib Al-Ahli for a medical, with a "nominal" fee having been agreed.

While Wolves' captain Max Kilman has already been added to the ranks, Zouma's exit would leave just Konstantinos Mavropanos or Nayef Aguerd to partner him, with the latter also being linked with a move away.

Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah also looks to be a concrete option for the Hammers this summer, with the defender now open to a move away from Stamford Bridge after being informed he would not be included in the club's Premier League squad next term [HITC].

Bijol, who has made 58 appearances for Udinese since arriving from CSKA Moscow in the summer of 2022, is an established figure at international level with Slovenia.

He could be seen as an option to increase the experience across the backline, though his complete lack of minutes in European competitions could see him go down the pecking order on Lopetegui's wishlist.

Despite this, multiple European sides are interested in the player's signature this summer, with the 25-year-old clearly showing plenty of promise, so West Ham would need to act quickly.

In other West Ham news, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has agreed personal terms as a hold-up emerges at Manchester United.

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