West Ham United have now made contact over signing a 21-year-old right-back instead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
West Ham struggling to agree Wan-Bissaka deal
The Hammers and technical director Tim Steidten have managed to secure six new signings for the Irons this summer, however, none of those have been at right-back.
West Ham summer signings
From
Fee (Transfermarkt)
Max Kilman
Wolves
€47.5m
Crysencio Summerville
Leeds United
€29.3m
Niclas Fullkrug
Borussia Dortmund
€27m
Luis Guilherme
Palmeiras
€23m
Wes Foderingham
Sheffield United
Free transfer
Guido Rodriguez
Real Betis
Free transfer
New manager Julen Lopetegui lost Ben Johnson recently, with the full-back leaving the London Stadium as a free agent. He’s since joined Ipswich Town, leaving Vladimir Coufal as the only recognised senior right-back option.
Wan-Bissaka has been heavily linked with coming in and rivalling Coufal, with rumours claiming a five-year deal had been agreed with the player and a £10m offer submitted to the Red Devils.
However, as we know, deal is yet to be agreed with Man Utd, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano recently saying: “West Ham already did many things in the last 48 hours. They signed three players, so I think West Ham will still be active. But as of now, they are still negotiating, especially in the case of Wan-Bissaka, it's an important one for them.”
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There have been some alternative targets to the Man Utd man, including Newcastle United’s Kieran Trippier, and now, a new name has emerged.
West Ham make contact with Arnau Martinez
According to a report in Spain, relayed by Sport Witness, West Ham have been in contact with Girona full-back Arnau Martinez, making it clear they would like to secure his services.
The Irons have ‘conveyed the confidence’ they have in him, with the report claiming an offer may even already be on the table for Martinez, who is out of contract in 12 months time.
A Spain U21 international, Martinez is primarily a right-back who can also play as a centre-back and a right midfielder, offering plenty of versatility to Lopetegui, should a deal get done.
Once on the books of Barcelona as a youngster, Martinez has seen with Girona since 2018, progressing through their academy and turning professional in 2021.
Since then, he has gone on to make an impressive 123 senior appearances for Girona, scoring six times and registering a further 15 assists. He played 21 La Liga games last season as well, helping his side to an unlikely third-place finish to qualify for the Champions League.
Sevilla 1-2 Girona
7.07/10
Girona 3-0 Getafe
7.01/10
Almeria 0-0 Girona
6.97/10
Girona 1-0 Celta Vigo
6.94/10
Girona 5-2 Almeria
6.83/10
Who knows, a move to the London Stadium could now be one to watch in the final weeks of the window, following this update, and Martinez may be cheaper than Wan-Bissaka, while also being five years his junior.