West Ham United are undoubtedly having the busiest summer among all the Premier League outfits. They are being linked to various names almost daily and have been backed to challenge for a place in Europe after securing a top-half finish last season under Manuel Pellegrini.
The Hammers have announced the signing of Pablo Fornals from Villarreal on a reported £24m fee and are now monitoring the status of Barcelona custodian Jasper Cillessen who is likely to depart this summer after spending three seasons as the understudy to Marc-Andre ter Stegan, according to Sport.
The Dutch ‘number 1’ has only featured 32 times since completing a summer switch from Ajax back in 2016. But he failed to replace the German between the sticks and should explore opportunities elsewhere to enjoy first-team minutes. Although the 30-year-old has a couple of years left in his current deal with the Blaugrana, a fee of around €20m might see the Catalans offloading him within the next couple of months.
Benfica were willing to pay a fee in the region of €12m to secure his services. However, the valuation of Barcelona is much higher than the offered sum which, in turn, forced the Portuguese champions to cool down their interest in the Netherlands star.
The Hammers, as well as Everton, are rumouredly chasing Cillessen as claimed by the Catalan outlet highlighting the possibility of a potential move to Premier League. The East Londoners have parted ways with Adrian who lost his place to majestic Lukasz Fabianski last season. They have roped in David Martin and Roberto on free transfers but might still attempt to tie down the high-profile goalkeeper.
Everton, on the contrary, have not only kept hold of England ‘number 1’ Jordan Pickford but also wrapped up Jonas Lossl from relegated Huddersfield Town on a Bosman deal. Veteran Maarten Stekelenburg is still a part of the Toffees squad, and therefore, a move for his compatriot is highly unlikely considering the current scenario.
The Irons are expected to continue their spending spree in the upcoming weeks with a view of closing the gap with league’s ‘Big Six’. Pellegrini enjoyed enormous success while in charge of Manchester City and should focus on making his second stint in England memorable with the Stratford-based side. The owners are set to back the gaffer financially, and the intent exhibited so far this window deserves acknowledgement.
