West Ham United have reportedly stepped up their efforts to beat Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign Southampton star Kyle Walker-Peters, as per transfer journalist Graeme Bailey.
The Hammers decided to reinforce the right-back position by signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United ahead of this season.
However, with Vladimir Coufal’s contract set to expire at the end of this season, Graham Potter is seemingly planning to hire a new defender to support the Englishman. Coufal will turn 34 next year, therefore, replacing him would be the right decision.
Now, on TBR Football, Bailey says that Walker-Peters is set to become available as a free agent at the end of this season as he doesn’t want to extend his deal with Southampton following their relegation.
Several Premier League clubs have started lining up to secure his service with Fulham, Chelsea and Crystal Palace among those. Additionally, Spurs are willing to bring him back and have even held talks with the player’s representatives over this deal.
However, West Ham have stepped up their efforts by offering a contract proposal to persuade him to move to London Stadium.
Battle
Walker-Peters is a versatile fullback as he is comfortable on both sides. He is quick, strong, comfortable playing out from the back and is also efficient in defensive contributions.
Spurs have faced a challenging campaign this season, and it is believed that their issues stem from fitness problems in defence. Consequently, they are rumoured to be planning to hire new defenders this summer.
However, the Lilywhites already have Pedro Porro and Djed Spence for the right-back position. Therefore, they don’t need to add more depth in this position.
So, Walker-Peters would be better off joining the East London club over his former club. Although Southampton have endured a dire campaign this season, the 27-year-old has displayed glimpses of his qualities in the Premier League at times. He was even excellent against Tottenham last weekend, making five tackles and winning 11 out of 13 duels.
Therefore, he would be a shrewd acquisition for West Ham if they eventually manage to secure his service ahead of next season.
