West Ham United have submitted a formal opening bid to sign Werder Bremen goalkeeper Michael Zetterer, according to Patrick Berger.
The Hammers are looking to add a new goalkeeper to compete for a starting position this summer. The club doesn’t seem impressed by the showings of Alphonse Areola and Wes Foderingham heading into the new season and have been courting several options.
Football Talk has duly followed the club’s search for a new goalkeeper and reported their interest in Leicester City’s Mads Hermansen and Botafogo’s John Victor, with negotiations for both reportedly advancing.
The latest to be added to the list is Zetterer, who has been at Bremen since joining from German lower division side Unterhaching in 2015.
This is according to Sky Sport’s Patrick Berger, who claims that West Ham have submitted a formal opening offer to Bremen to sign the 6ft 1in German shotstopper this summer.
The Bundesliga club are open to the 30-year-old’s departure this summer following the emergence of highly-rated Germany U20 international goalkeeper Mio Backhaus, who is being earmarked for a first-team role in the future, according to the report.
However, the transfer expert adds that the Hammers’ offer for Zetterer is deemed insufficient and below their £4m valuation of the German.
West Ham continue goalkeeper search
The East London club are now exploring other options, including Fenerbahçe’s Dominik Livakovic, as per Berger, and it’s unclear if they’ll return with an improved bid for Zetterer.
West Ham’s frantic search for a new goalkeeper has sparked speculation that the club could be targeting two signings between the sticks. This scenario would almost certainly push Areola or Foderingham towards the exit.
It remains uncertain who will ultimately handle the posts next season, but all the goalkeepers linked so far appear to possess attributes that may have caught the eye of the club’s Head of Recruitment, Kyle Macaulay.
Among them, Zetterer stands out as the most experienced shot-stopper, boasting over 200 career appearances — more than any of the other reported targets.
With West Ham’s opening bid rejected, it remains to be seen whether the club will stay intent on landing him by submitting an improved offer or shift focus to alternative targets like Victor or Hermansen, with talks for both reportedly advancing.
