West Ham United look set to prioritise an ‘easier’ deal for Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters over a more difficult and costly move for Aaron Wan-Bissaka of Manchester United.
Dean Jones told GiveMeSport: “We know that West Ham are very seriously looking for a new forward and have tried on Jhon Duran, but also we will see them kick on in their bid to find a full-back. Man United are still waiting to discover whether they are serious about Wan-Bissaka.
“It has seemed like they have looked into a few other options that might be easier to do, and Kyle Walker-Peters is one of them, but certainly this is one of the areas they want to address quickly.
“Getting a deal sorted for Flynn Downes is helpful and the close-season negotiations with Southampton were always aimed at sorting out that situation before pre-season as we have reported recently.”
The Hammers now have an open route for negotiations with Southampton after agreeing a fee both parties were happy with for Flynn Downes. With a year left on his contract, West Ham won’t want to pay over the odds for Walker-Peters. It’s likely the versatile full-back would demand less of a fee than the £18m paid for Flynn Downes due to his age and contract situation.
The Saints have also already signed a replacement for Walker-Peters in the form of Yukinari Sugawara who arrived from AZ Alkmaar for a fee of €7m. They will likely be looking for at least double that from West Ham for one of their star players in recent years.
Spurs, alongside a few other English clubs, remain interested in the full-back. However, after signing Archie Gray from Leeds their interest has cooled. This is another reason why West Ham are in pole position for the signing.
Kyle Walker-Peters is by far a better option than Aaron Wan-Bissaka due to his ability on the ball. Wan-Bissaka has been ridiculed at times for his lack of quality in possession and with Lopetegui aiming to make West Ham a more possession-based team, the former Spurs man would be the better option.
