West Ham United won’t give up on signing defender loved by Jose Mourinho
West Ham United remain determined to sign Fenerbahce defender Jayden Oosterwolde, according to Fanatik.
The Turkish outlet reported via their website on Friday (11 October) that the Dutchman is at the top of Julen Lopetegui’s wishlist ahead of the January transfer window.
West Ham are still interested in Oosterwolde after initially being linked with a move for him in the summer.
However, Fenerbahce have no plans to let the 23-year-old leave as he is “one of Jose Mourinho’s favourites”.
West Ham United face uphill battle to convince Jose Mourinho to sell player
The Hammers need to bring in a new left-back soon, with Emerson Palmieri and Aaron Cresswell in their 30s.
Oosterwolde could, therefore, be a solid long-term addition to the East London outfit.
His ability to play both left-back and centre-back strengthens the case to sign him as he would add depth to the squad.
The Zwolle-born defender, though, is contracted to Fenerbahce until 2027, giving the Turkish club a position of strength in any transfer negotiations.
Furthermore, Mourinho is “absolutely against” Ooserwolde’s sale, especially midway through the season.
West Ham are, thus, willing to hefty transfer fee to lure the full-back to the London Stadium.
There were suggestions that Fenerbahce would consider a fee over £21 million for the player, but it remains to be seen if the same would be enough in January.
Oosterwolde has been an important player for the Istanbul giants this season, starting in each of their 13 games across all competitions.
According to WhoScored, dribbling and tackling are among his main strengths.
In other West Ham news, Konstantinos Mavropanos has amazed a pundit with his performance in Greece’s 2-1 win against England.
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