West Ham United now hold “concrete interest” in signing an “elite” midfielder alongside their deal for Southampton star Mateus Fernandes, and talks have already been held over a deal which could amount to £17m.
West Ham eyeing several new signings after poor start
West Ham have made a very disappointing start to the new Premier League campaign, suffering consecutive defeats, and the trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the EFL Cup didn’t offer any respite, crashing out in a 3-2 defeat after conceding two late goals.
There have been suggestions that Graham Potter’s job could be on the line, as a result of the extremely poor results, and the manager is now frantically trying to improve his squad before the September 1st transfer deadline.
Amid doubts over Lucas Paqueta’s future, the Hammers are looking to bolster their attacking options, with a number of targets on the shortlist and a deal for Fernandes now agreed, with the Hammers set to pay roughly £38m for the Portuguese’s signature.
West Ham Attacking Targets
Current club
Position
Artem Dovbyk
AS Roma
Striker
Lorenzo Pellegrini
AS Roma
Attacking midfielder
Raheem Sterling
Chelsea
Winger
Strengthening in central midfield is clearly still a priority, with a deal for Soungoutou Magassa also believed to be close to completion, and the AS Monaco maestro is not the only option on the shortlist.
Indeed, according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg on X, West Ham now hold “concrete interest” in signing Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Aleix Garcia, and direct talks have already been held with the German club.
Figures have been discussed, and although a formal offer is yet to be made, a deal could be possible for the relatively affordable fee, with Leverkusen looking to hold out for around €20m (£17m).
"Elite" Garcia could excel at the London Stadium
Football scout Ben Mattinson was left enamoured by the Spanish midfielder during the 2023-24 season, at which point he was said to be one of the best in his position in the world, with the former Girona man’s passing ability dubbed “elite”.
Primarily a deep-lying midfielder, the Leverkusen maestro is also very capable of contributing on the front foot, picking up seven goal contributions in 28 Bundesliga appearances in the 2024-25 campaign.
With Tottenham Hotspur recently opening talks over a deal for Paqueta, Potter may need to bring in a new playmaker, and Garcia certainly has what it takes to succeed at the London Stadium.
That said, having already lost Mohammed Kudus to their London rivals this summer, it is vital the Hammers keep hold of Paqueta in the final days of the transfer window, given that the Brazilian is one of the only players who can hold his head high so far this season, scoring two goals.
