Wednesday news (includes West ham)

[Alan]

BBC

Liverpool are planning to open contract talks with Egypt forward Mohamed Salah, 32, after he said this was his "last season" at the club following their win against Manchester United. (Football Insider), external

Pumas UNAM manager Gustavo Lema says Liverpool tried to sign their 23-year-old Mexico winger Cesar Huerta. (TUDN - in Spanish), external

Chelsea are open to sending England left-back Ben Chilwell, 27, on loan to Turkey, although they are yet to receive any offers. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Talks are ongoing between Chelsea and AEK Athens over the transfer of 21-year-old Ivory Coast forward David Datro Fofana. (Mail), external

Tottenham have negotiated an option to buy United States midfielder Johnny Cardoso, 22, for £21m from Real Betis. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

West Ham are considering a move for 35-year-old former Germany defender Mats Hummels, who is a free agent after leaving Borussia Dortmund. (Times - subscription required)

Galatasaray are in talks with Manchester United over a one-year loan move for their Brazil midfielder Casemiro, 32. (Ali Naci Kucuk - in Turkish), external

Former Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita, 29, is in talks with Istanbul Basaksehir over a potential move from Werder Bremen after the Guinea international couldn't agree terms for a move to Sunderland. (Guardian), external

Former Manchester United winger Anthony Martial, 28, has been offered a contract by AEK Athens which would make him the club's highest earner. The Frenchman became a free agent when his United contract expired in June. (Sport24 via Sun), external

Manchester United are closely monitoring Juventus' 23-year-old Colombian left-back Juan Cabal. (Tutto Juve - in Italian), external

Real Betis made an offer for Manchester United's 32-year-old Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen on transfer deadline day. (Fabrizio Romano)




Sky Paper Talk

THE TIMES

West Ham United are lining up a surprise move to sign the experienced former Germany defender Mats Hummels.

The Irish police have had all leave cancelled in Dublin this weekend, with 350 specialist officers scheduled to be on duty for the Nations League encounter between Ireland and England on Saturday evening.

The planned demolition and redevelopment of the Tavern and Allen Stands at Lord's that was due to commence next month is set to be delayed because of the project's rising costs.

THE DAILY MAIL

NFL star Travis Kelce's representatives have been forced to deny he and Taylor Swift have plans to split later this month after a document written on the headed paper of his US PR company appearing to reveal the date their relationship would end was spread online.

Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman has taken a fierce dig at Liverpool star Ryan Gravenberch despite the midfielder's starring role in Arne Slot's new-look side.

Adam Wharton has withdrawn from England Under-21 duty amid ongoing fitness problems.

THE TELEGRAPH

Chelsea are open to sending Ben Chilwell on loan to Turkey, with the left-back facing at least four months in the football wilderness if he stays at Stamford Bridge.

A world-champion runner who raced at the Olympics last month is in a critical condition after allegedly being doused with petrol and set on fire by her boyfriend.

McLaren and Mercedes have been given the green light to keep their current front wing designs after concerns around their legality from Red Bull and Ferrari were dismissed.

Female darts players have been threatened with disciplinary action if they refuse to play transgender opponents.

THE GUARDIAN

Ronald Koeman has shut the door on Steven Bergwijn playing for Netherlands after his transfer to Saudi Arabia.

THE DAILY MIRROR

Former Manchester United academy talent Tommy Rowe has rejoined the club as a player-coach some 21 years after leaving to embark on a lengthy EFL career.

THE SCOTTISH SUN

Oli McBurnie says this is the first summer he has not received any contact from Rangers over a transfer.



Football Talk

West Ham ‘weigh up’ a free transfer for Mats Hummels

West Ham United were by far the busiest Premier League in this summer’s transfer window but even after it has ended, they are not backing down and continue to explore opportunities to revamp their side.

According to The Times, the Hammers are ‘weighing up’ a swoop for Mats Hummels before the Premier League’s registration deadline of September 13th given that he is still a free agent.

The German central defender left Borussia Dortmund following the end of last season after captaining them to the Champions League final and remains without a club following the transfer window.

He has been linked with the likes of AS Roma and Real Sociedad in recent weeks, while West Ham are reported to be the latest entrants in the race to acquire his services.

The Hammers have been defeated twice in their three Premier League games so far in the season and they could do with some defensive additions with Konstantinos Mavropanos failing to impress.

Hummels would be a good short-term fix

Mats Hummels was one of the best defenders in the world last season as he helped Dortmund in reaching the Champions League final with a man of the match display in their second leg clash against Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final of the competition.

The 35-year-old is also a seasoned pro in Europe having won the Bundesliga title five times, thrice with Bayern Munich and twice with Borussia Dortmund.

He has never played in the Premier League before so he could welcome the experience of joining a promising side like West Ham, where he would also reunite with former club and country teammate, Niklas Fullkrug.

Given that he remains without an employer at this stage of the season, Julen Lopetegui’s side could be able to leverage the situation by signing the World Cup winner on a relatively lower wage and short-term contract too.

Hummels would be a significant upgrade over Mavropanos, keeping in mind how poorly the former Arsenal star has performed since the season started and it will be interesting to see what developments occur with his future in the upcoming days.

TalkSPORT has reported that the Hammers are in ‘shock talks’ to sign Joel Matip

The centre-back is a free agent after leaving Liverpool when his contract expired in June and he’s still without an employer after failing to secure a move over the summer.

In his prime, Matip was a fabulous central defender and was a key part of Jurgen Klopp’s setup which won the Premier League and Champions League amongst other domestic accolades as well as two second placed finishes in the European Cup and English top-flight.

Julen Lopetegui could do with some experienced options in a relatively young backline and with that in mind, Matip has been identified as a potential target ahead of the Premier League’s registration deadline of September 13th.
Matip would be useful but Hummels should be the priority

Joel Matip, 33, is two years younger than Mats Hummels, another player who is reportedly on West Ham’s radar as a possible free signing.

It goes without saying that the former Liverpool centre-back would be a good signing for Lopetegui but it is arguable whether or not he would add more utility to the Hammers as compared to Hummels.

While Hummels guided Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League runners-up position with an outstanding display in the last four, Matip’s involvement in his final season at Liverpool was limited to a meagre 14 appearances in all competitions.

In addition to that, the ex-Premier League star’s fitness record also does not provide for good reading as he has endured his fair share of injury issues right from his days as a Schalke player.

It remains to be seen who Julen Lopetegui prefers from a tactical standpoint though as things stand, the door at London Stadium is not closed on either Matip or Hummels.




West Ham Football
@westhamfootball
Matt Hummels move to Roma has stalled giving West Ham a chance to pounce.

According to reports from Corriere dello Sport, Roma have offered Hummels a contract until the end of the season with an option to renew, which can be triggered automatically if he plays in over 50% of matches in 2024-25.

They offered him £40,000 per week to sign for them but a deal has not progressed.

Galatasaray have also shown an interest but Hummels is well known to Tim Steidten and Niclas Fullkrug and they could use their personal relationships with him to encourage him to join the Hammers.

 

[Russ of the BML]

Ta Al. 

[Electric Retro-pants]

A long overdue thanks Alan, from long time site lurker.

[Texas Iron]

Cheers…

[Percy Dalton]

Thanks Alan