West Ham United have reportedly held opening talks to sign a new midfielder who won Player of the Year with his club last season.
West Ham transfer latest
Two new players have put pen to paper with the Hammers since the transfer window officially opened last month. First, Brazilian winger Luis Guilherme arrived from Palmeiras in a £25m+ deal, and more recently, goalkeeper Wes Foderingham signed on a free transfer after he left Sheffield United.
Now, Julen Lopetegui and Tim Steidten appear to be after a marquee defensive addition, with Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-back Max Kilman heavily linked to reunite with Lopetegui.
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Should Kilman not arrive, then Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo is seemingly viewed as an alternative, with the Hammers already having a £30m bid turned down by the Ligue 1 side.
A new midfielder also looks to be on the to-do list before Lopetegui’s first season officially gets underway against Aston Villa on August 17th, with Matt O’Riley attracting interest from the Irons.
West Ham hold talks for Matt O’Riley
According to a report from HITC in the last 48 hours, West Ham are one of five Premier League clubs interested in signing O’Riley from Celtic.
It is claimed that the Hammers, along with Brentford, Everton and Fulham, have all held talks with the Denmark international, whereas Southampton are £10m short of Celtic’s £30m asking price.
A £30m exit from Celtic Park would see him become the Hoops’ most expensive departure, and there is also interest from abroad, with Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Lyon and Monaco also named in the update.
After joining Celtic from MK Dons in 2022, O’Riley has gone from strength to strength in Glasgow, winning six major honours with the Hoops and seeing his Transfermarkt valuation rocketing from €2.3m to a career-high €20m.
Primarily a central midfielder, the 23-year-old can also play as a holding or attacking midfielder and starred last season. In all competitions, he scored 19 goals and provided 18 assists in 48 appearances.
O’Riley picked up Celtic’s Young Player of the Year, Players' Player of the Year and Player of the Year as a result of his brilliant campaign and was hailed by Brendan Rodgers, who said in May:
“He has been absolutely phenomenal really in his consistency. I think if we lacked anything as a team, it was probably that.”
Rodgers also added: “He is very humble, there is nothing flash about him. His peers recognise the work he puts in and the mentality that he has. They know when they sit beside him in the changing room, this is a guy that puts in absolutely everything for the team and that is obviously very much respected.”
A move to England could be one to keep an eye on for the London-born star, but it looks as if West Ham will need to beat a number of their Premier League rivals if they want to secure O’Riley’s services.