West Ham United are reportedly making a late push to lure Tottenham Hotspur full-back Kyle Walker-Peters to east London over interest from Southampton.
According to the Daily Mail (print edition, 02/08/2020, p64), the Irons have identified Walker-Peters as a potential option for David Moyes to call upon next season as the club look to move on from Ryan Fredericks.
Walker-Peters’ future in north London has become shrouded in doubt over the past few weeks as Jose Mourinho is open to cashing in on the former England U21 international, with the Spurs boss needing to raise funds after being told he will have a limited budget.
Tottenham are expected to demand £12million should any side look to snap up Walker-Peters over the coming months, which suggests they rejected a rumoured £10m offer from Southampton after the Saints looked to turn his loan spell into a permanent deal.
Ralph Hasenhuttl was claimed to see the Spurs product as his first-choice at St. Mary’s after a half-season spell on the south coast, but the deal struck in January did not include any automatic options to buy.
Southampton attempted to move quickly to secure Walker-Peters’ long-term future but have clearly not yet got a deal over the line, opening a window for West Ham to attempt a late push and lure the young talent to the London Stadium instead.
West Ham are currently set to challenge the 2020/21 season with Fredericks as the club’s only recognised senior right-back following Pablo Zabaleta’s decision to leave the Irons, while Ben Johnson could be promoted from the Under 23s after making three outings in the first-team this term.
Moyes favoured Fredericks in 27 Premier League games during the 2019/20 campaign, in which the ex-Fulham defender averaged 3.0 successful tackles, 0.9 interceptions, 0.6 accurate crosses and took 0.1 shots per game, according to WhoScored.
Walker-Peters initially struggled to establish himself as the first-choice at Tottenham this season, making just three appearances, but went on to impress with Southampton whilst on loan at St. Mary’s, where he started seven of his 10 outings.
In those outings for the south coast side, the 23-year-old averaged 1.3 successful tackles, 1.4 interceptions, zero accurate crosses from 1.1 attempts and took 0.2 shots a game.
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Should Walker-Peters be a target for West Ham, the Spurs product may be seen in east London as an alternative to Nottingham Forest’s Matty Cash after the Slough-born talent was linked with a potential move to the Irons.
The 22-year-old is also believed to be on the market for £12m as Forest look to stay compliant with the English Football League’s Profitability & Sustainability rules after missing out on promotion this season.
Cash is said to be a target for Southampton, as well, while Sheffield United reportedly saw a £10m offer rebuffed over the weekend as the Blades looked to jump to the front of the queue.
