West Ham will step up their interest in signing Mohammed Kudus from Ajax as part of a busy end to the transfer window.
The club’s technical director, Tim Steidten, has flown to the Netherlands for talks with Ajax officials as the Hammers look to secure a deal for Kudus in the coming days.
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The Ghana international is West Ham’s leading transfer target to reinforce the squad, amid doubts surrounding the future of Lucas Paqueta.
Manchester City are interested in a deal to sign Paqueta, who is keen on the move, and Kudus is viewed as the ideal replacement for the Brazil international after scoring 18 goals in all competitions for Ajax last season.
West Ham have also turned to Stuttgart centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos after a failed bid to sign Harry Maguire from Manchester United. The ex-Arsenal defender has impressed since leaving north London for the Bundesliga and led Germany’s top division for interceptions last season.
Elsewhere, West Ham have interest in Montpellier forward Elye Wahi, who has been on the radar of Chelsea, Eintracht Frankfurt and PSG this summer. The club are also considering rivalling the growing number of clubs interested in Rennes winger Jeremy Doku and Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson.
A decision will also be made on Jesse Lingard, after the free agent was invited to train with the squad. Lingard had a successful loan spell at West Ham in 2021 and is without a club after leaving Nottingham Forest.
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