West Ham United are ready to sit down with Charlton Athletic to agree a permanent exit for midfielder Josh Cullen, according to club insiders Claret and Hugh.
The Hammers news site, which has extensive links within the London Stadium, report that Charlton are keen to tie the 22-year-old down to a permanent deal after a successful start to his loan spell at the club.
Claret and Hugh claim that the Hammers are willing to let that happen and offload Cullen after a five-year spell in east London, with manager Manuel Pellegrini allowing the 5ft 9in ace [Transfermarkt] to leave temporarily in the summer.
Good move for West Ham?
Despite Cullen’s long stint in the club’s academy and the high hopes that were initially held for his career at the London Stadium, this is a move which makes sense.
The likelihood of Cullen getting any game time under Pellegrini at any point soon is extremely low when you consider the options he has available.
Cullen would therefore be spending his time out on loan or on the bench, and that is not an arrangement which is beneficial for anyone involved.
Charlton obviously rate him highly and are keen to do a deal, and the Hammers are right in reportedly being ready to agree to that.
This is Futbol rating: 9/10
Likely to happen?
Yes.
It looks like all parties are keen to strike a deal, and there look to be few obstacles to that happening.
Talks look set to take place soon, and it would not be a surprise to see this one go through at some point during the upcoming January transfer window.
This is Futbol rating: 8/10