West Ham United are looking to sign Manchester United goalkeeper Sam Johnstone in the summer. According to recent reports, the Hammers are lining up a move for the English keeper, who is currently out on loan at Aston Villa. It is understood that the East London outfit are on the lookout for a new goalkeeper during the summer transfer window and they have identified the 25-year-old as the ideal player to take up that role.
Some sources are claiming that West Ham are ready to make an offer in the region of £4m to prise him away from Old Trafford. Johnstone has put in some solid displays while plying his trade at Villa Park during the course of this season which has not gone unnoticed. The Hammers are prepared to send Joe Hart back to the Etihad Stadium after he failed to impress during his time at the London Stadium.
The Red Devils have recently activated a clause in Johnstone’s contract that has extended his stay at Manchester until the summer of 2019 which means that David Moyes’ side will need to cough up a transfer fee if they are to lure him to East London next season. Johnstone’s time with United has seen him go out on loan to seven clubs during his six-year spell at Old Trafford. It’s high time that he departed the Manchester outfit in search of greener pastures so it is likely that he will finally end his stay with the Red Devils this summer.
West Ham are currently in the 14th position in the Premier League table after securing an emphatic 3-0 victory versus Southampton on Saturday. However, they are still not completely out of relegation danger with 5 points separating them from the relegation zone and just 7 matches to go in this campaign.
The addition of Johnstone would undoubtedly bolster David Moyes’ goalkeeping options ahead of the new season. The Hammers have the likes of Joe Hart, Adrian and Nathan Trott vying for a place in Moyes’ starting eleven. The potential signing of Johnstone will definitely improve their squad and add more competition for places in the West Ham team.
The English keeper has featured in 38 matches for the Villans this season, conceding 37 goals while keeping 15 clean sheets in the process. It remains to be seen what lies ahead in the future of Johnstone and whether he ends up making a switch to the London Stadium in the near future.
