West Ham United insider @ExWHUemployee has recently made a transfer claim regarding Olympique Marseille centre-back Duje Caleta-Car.
During the recent transfer window, the Irons were keen on securing the services of the Croatian defender from his Ligue 1 club (per The Guardian).
However, the player turned down the chance to move to the London Stadium as he wanted to stay in France in order to play in the Champions League.
In Group C of the Champions League, though, Marseille have lost all three of their opening matches, leaving them bottom of their group (per UEFA).
During the latest episode of The West Ham Way Podcast, @ExWHUemployee suggested that Marseille’s struggles in the Champions League may tip the player in the Hammers’ direction.
He said: “Speaking of some of the other targets, the centre-backs we approached, Caleta-Car, the Marseille defender, it looks like they’re not going to qualify for the next round of the Champions League now.
“Marseille are in financial difficulties, I think, so he could become available again in January for us to maybe re-bid for.
“He won’t be playing in the Champions League then, so he won’t have that nugget for keeping him at Marseille.”
TIF Thoughts on what @ExWHUemployee said about Duje Caleta-Car…
As stated by the in-the-know podcaster, he believes that if Marseille are knocked out of the Champions League, the defender “could become available” due to Marseille being in “financial difficulties”.
Would you be happy if West Ham signed Duje Caleta-Car?
Yes, he's a solid player
No, he's not good enough
So far this season, the Croatian defender has made eight appearances in Ligue 1 for his French club, in which he has scored two goals (per WhoScored).
The 24-year-old centre-back, who is valued at £20.7 million (as per Transfermarkt), has also bagged a solid 6.94/10 average rating which has made him their joint-third-best performer so far this term (WhoScored).
So, if the opportunity does arise for the Hammers to secure his services, it looks as though the defender could make a promising acquisition.