Journalist Dean Jones believes that West Ham United would jump at the chance of signing Jesse Lingard for around £20m this January, as his value has dropped since returning from east London to Manchester United.
The 28-year-old initially made a loan move to the London Stadium back in January with the aim of getting some minutes under his belt in an attempt to force his way into the England side for the European Championship.
His loan move went incredibly well, scoring nine goals and chipping in with five assists, although it wasn’t enough to get him into Gareth Southgate’s squad.
It also wasn’t enough to convince Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to give him more minutes at Old Trafford either, with Lingard only starting one game so far for Manchester United. Reports are now suggesting that he wants to leave the club once again in order to make a push for a spot at next year’s World Cup.
Speaking about Lingard on the latest edition of Touchline Talk, Jones discussed a potential deal that was in the offing for him in the summer from the Hammers, and how things might have changed on that front as the months have gone on:
“West Ham would jump all over that, I think [a fee of £15m-£20m]. They were still keen right up to deadline day to get a deal done if it was achievable.
“And you think back to when Jesse first made that move to West Ham and there was the option of potentially that being a permanent deal, and the figure then that most people were thinking was about £15m-£20m and United didn’t really see it that way.
“They felt that if that loan deal went well, then it would add premium to his value and that’s exactly what happened. So I think that’s dropped again now, and I think that realistically, he’s no more than a £20m player.”
TIF Thoughts on Dean Jones’ comments about Jesse Lingard and West Ham United…
Will West Ham sign Lingard in January?
Yes
No
Given that Lingard’s deal expires at the end of the season and Manchester United have clearly shown that they have little to no interest in him, then Jones is right to assume that his value would have gone down significantly, and that can certainly play into West Ham United’s hands.
With Lingard seemingly desperate to make a move ahead of the World Cup, and knowing that he can really shine at the London Stadium, it seems like a natural fit that the two should come together once again in January.
And considering the impact that he made whilst in east London last time around, Jones is right to think that if they can get him for a fee circa £20m, then West Ham should be doing everything they can to make it happen.
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