Darren Lewis of the Mirror has been discussing West Ham’s recent efforts to sign Duje Caleta-Car from Marseille and on whom they have now set their sights on following the breakdown of those negotiations.
During a recent video for the Daily Mirror’s YouTube channel, the journalist confirmed that a deal potentially bringing the Croatian to East London had “fallen apart” and named Napoli’s Nikola Maksimovic as an alternative target for David Moyes’ side. Here is what he had to say:
“They’ve struggled to get that [Caleta-Car] deal over the line and that’s fallen apart.
“The Stellar Group were dealing with it, but over the weekend, the deal fell through. It looks very much as though they may be in for [Nikola] Maksimovic at Napoli.
“[Jonathan] Tah, at the moment, does look to be the one that’s come to the fore and a deal that they’re trying to get done.”
TIF Thoughts…
Judging by what Lewis has had to say, the club is considering a move that would see Nikola Maksimovic come in.
The Serbian made 23 appearances in the Italian top flight last season and according to WhoScored, his average performance rating was a solid 6.79/10.
He also mentioned the club was working on a move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah, a 24-year-old centre-back who according to Transfermarkt, is valued at £21.6m.
Tah made 25 Bundesliga appearances last season and his average performance rating, according to WhoScored, was an even stronger 6.90/10.
Do you expect West Ham to bring in a centre-back before the window closes?
Yes
No
If the Hammers are looking to bolster their defensive options with either of the aforementioned players, they will need to get a move on with the transfer deadline fast approaching.