West Ham United insider ExWHUemployee has claimed that the club have already made a low bid for James Tarkowski in the January transfer market.
It’s no secret that the Hammers are interested in signing the Burnley defender – they have reportedly had an offer for him rejected in the past.
However, with the centre-back’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, David Moyes may feel a little more confident about finally landing his man.
Indeed, as mentioned on The West Ham Way podcast, Ex stated that the club are ‘definitely interested’ in making a move for Tarkowski and that a low bid has been made this winter ‘just to test the water’.
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He said: “Tarkowski – now, we definitely want him. Moyes is definitely interested in him. We bid £30m for him in the summer, we’re definitely keen now.
“I think we might have even put in a £7-8m bid already just to test the water. However, again, there’s no rush to sign him, as such.”
He then added: “He’s a free transfer in the summer. So it would make financial sense to wait until he’s a free transfer. Burnley could get relegated; if he’s a relegated player on a free transfer, he makes his stock a lot easier to obtain than at this precise moment.”
TIF Thoughts on James Tarkowski and West Ham United…
Injuries to Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna make the need for a central defender at West Ham obvious. However, there are recent reports that Zouma’s return could come sooner than first anticipated, with the club reportedly optimistic he can return ahead of schedule.
This would make the need to sign Tarkowski this winter slightly less pressing. Perhaps Zouma’s status was known by the club when they decided to supposedly put in that low bid, knowing that they do not desperately need to get the deal over the line.
It will be interesting to see if the Hammers do bid again, or if they are simply happy to see out the rest of the reason with the defensive options they already have.
In other news: ‘This is going to shock people’ – Ex drops big behind-scenes West Ham claim