West Ham have reportedly made an offer for Thilo Kehrer of Paris Saint-Germain, with David Moyes desperate for defensive reinforcements.
The news could imply that the Irons have cooled their interest in Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly, who is no longer needed at Old Trafford, though they may reconsider if the Kehrer deal falls through.
Kehrer, who can play as a centre-back or right-back, has just one year left on his PSG contract, and the Ligue 1 champions are eager to offload the 25-year-old, according to Sky Sports.
Moyes is dealing with a defensive injury crisis at the London Stadium, with only one available center-back, Kurt Zouma, and was forced to play full-back Ben Johnson in a central role in their Premier League opener against Manchester City last Sunday.
Craig Dawson and summer signing Nayef Aguerd were both injured in the 2-0 loss to City, while Angelo Ogbonna is still working his way back after suffering a long-term knee injury last November.
Issa Diop was also absent as he nears a move to Fulham, and West Ham will almost certainly sign his replacement with the £15 million fee they are about to receive from the Cottagers.
Kehrer joined PSG from Schalke in 2018 for £33 million, winning three Ligue 1 titles and starting the Parisians’ Champions League final loss to Bayern Munich in 2020.
He has also been capped 20 times by Germany, but his game time was reduced last season due to the arrivals of Sergio Ramos and Achraf Hakimi, and he was left out entirely for PSG’s first two games of the season.
West Ham will hope to have signed Kehrer or another centre-back target before their next game on Sunday, when they host newly promoted Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
Fulham agree £15m deal for Issa Diop
As mentioned before, Fulham and West Ham have agreed a fee of £15 million for defender Issa Diop.
The 25-year-old is scheduled to have a medical on Tuesday before joining Fulham, who are back in the Premier League this season.
After joining the Hammers from Toulouse in 2018, the Frenchman signed a five-year contract.
Despite being a first-choice player, Diop has fallen down the pecking order since the arrivals of Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson at London Stadium.
