OPINION
West Ham are still looking to reinforce their midfield, despite spending £108million already this summer.
And the Hammers have been linked by the Mirror with a move for Chelsea’s Danny Drinkwater, who is ready to leave Stamford Bridge after failing to command a first-team place.
However, that’s a deal that’s highly unlikely to happen.
After their huge spend, Pellegrini has to strengthen his side with loanees and free agents – and Drinkwater is neither.
Leicester are ready to step in and bring Drinkwater back to the midlands and they’ve been quoted a price of £20million. Chelsea won’t loan when they can sell – Drinkwater’s not a player for their future.
However, there is a free agent who would be the perfect player for Pellegrini, but he’ll need to act fast.
The Guardian has reported that Crystal Palace are closing in on a deal for German wonderkid Max Meyer, who is a free agent.
Once classed as the next big thing in Germany, Meyer flopped last season at Schalke as he ran his contract down.
However, that’s not a true indictment of who he is as a player. Meyer, 22, has already been capped for Germany four times and despite being just 22-years-old, has played 146 games in the Bundesliga.
He’s so good, Bild claims Tottenham wanted to sign him for £40million in 2016.
Palace have offered him a route into the Premier League after the player was linked with Liverpool and Arsenal, but Pellegrini could steal in and convince him his future should live at the London Stadium next season, surrounded by players of the quality of Andriy Yarmolenko, Filipe Anderson and Jack Wilshere.
If he’s got his heart set on London, West Ham would offer him a much more attractive club to play for and could accommodate his wages in the knowledge that he could be worth a lot of money in two-to-three years time.
Signing Meyer would be the cherry on top of a fantastic summer and Pellegrini must swoop now and ensure that it happens. Palace can have Cheikhou Kouyate, who Palace have enquired about instead.