(Credit: Imago)

Jacob Raw

Sun 31 May 2026 18:40, UK

West Ham United star and club captain Jarrod Bowen is gaining interest from Chelsea, as the Blues look to revamp their squad this summer under Xabi Alonso.

The Hammers had their near 14-year Premier League stay come to an end on the final day of the season, with multiple stars now set to leave the London Stadium.

West Ham need to raise a reported £150million in sales this summer to balance the books in E20, and Bowen is seen as one player who could slice this target by a big fraction.

The Englishman hasn’t ruled out the possibility of staying with the Irons, and if anything, has indicated that he wants to help the club get back into the Premier League.

However, Chelsea are now said to be wanting to sign Bowen, and it’s believed that they could want to wrap up a deal worth £40m for the 29-year-old.

What has Xabi Alonso said about Jarrod Bowen in the past?

Bowen has given West Ham fans hope that he will stay, but many involved in football don’t believe there is a world where the forward will want to waste one year of his prime in the Championship.

Stranger things have happened in football, but depending on how Chelsea push for the right-winger, Alonso could get his man with West Ham needing sales.

The Independent have reported that Chelsea are weighing up a move to sign Bowen this summer, and industry figures believe any interested clubs will try to wrap up a deal for £40m.

Alonso was last at the London Stadium in April of 2024 when he was in charge of Bayern Leverkusen, as his German side drew 1-1 with the Hammers in the Europa League quarter-final, but won the tie 3-1 on aggregate.

Speaking after his side progressed, the now Chelsea boss admitted his admiration for Bowen, as highlighted this Sunday by an X user.

Alonso said: “We know the physicality of West Ham, not just good players. Bowen, [Mohamed] Kudus, top, top players. But also, they are able to play without the physicality.”

#ItsOver 💔 https://t.co/hmB5tXJ8EZ pic.twitter.com/uNnbuYFr8J

— A☝🏻 (@whualfie_) May 31, 2026

It appears the former Real Madrid star and head coach was hinting that Bowen possessed real world-class ability, and may be someone who he’s always dreamed of signing.

Now that he’s in England with Chelsea, West Ham fans may have to suffer and watch their skipper move to another London side.

Could West Ham do a swap deal for Bowen?

West Ham will most likely have to offload the likes of Crysencio Summerville, Mateus Fernandes, and Taty Castellanos before they get to adding new additions this summer.

Regardless, the future of Bowen is still unknown, as it’s been suggested that the sales of Fernandes and Summerville alone could relieve a big chunk of the pressure in E20.

However, Chelsea may have something that West Ham want, and he goes by the name of Axel Disasi.

The Chelsea loanee all but confirmed he won’t be returning to the Hammers with a parting message after relegation was sealed, though, the news around Bowen could change things.

There could now be a chance where Sullivan asks Disasi to be involved in a cash plus player swap deal to see Bowen and the centre-back head in opposite directions.

Disasi was loved at the London Stadium, but if this were to be on the cards, the ball would surely be in the player’s court.