West Ham United needs to strengthen their options at centre-back. They have been linked with Emmanuel Fernandez of Rangers, but appear to have only an outside chance of signing him.
The transfer expert, Ekrem Konur, posted on X: "Bayer Leverkusen are in official talks to sign Rangers' Nigerian defender Emmanuel Fernandez! Rangers are asking for €25M-€30M for the 1.98m powerhouse. West Ham and Atalanta are also watching!"
Of course, a move to Leverkusen, who are one of the top Bundesliga sides, would be more appealing than West Ham right now. Even the Serie A side, Atalanta, might appear to be a better option for Fernandez right now, too. Leverkusen is further down the line than the Hammers and Atalanta right now when it comes to signing the defender.
Fernandez has been linked with West Ham in the past. There has also been reported interest from other top clubs, including Borussia Dortmund, Everton, and Ajax.
West Ham have managed to sign Arne Engels from the other top club in Scotland, Celtic, this summer. This shows how appealing the Hammers still are despite being a Championship club. This is due to them being one of the favourites for promotion back to the Premier League.
West Ham need to stregthen their centre-back options
The task of returning to English football's top flight did not start well for West Ham. They drew 2-2 with Burnley despite having a two-goal lead. Defensively, there are concerns, despite the Hammers managing to keep hold of Dinos Mavroponas. Last season's Hammer of the Year was linked with a move away from the London Stadium this summer.
Max Kilman looks to have his confidence back and even scored against the Clarets. However, the Hammers do not have much cover for him or Mavropanos. On the bench against Burnley were the youngsters Ezra Mayers and Airidas Golambeckis as replacement centre-backs.
Axel Disasi, who was on loan at West Ham from Chelsea last season, is set to be loaned to Crystal Palace. There was little chance of the Hammers keeping Disasi after they were relegated. Jean Clair-Todibo is still at West Ham, but has been heavily linked with a move to Olympique Marseille recently.
Edson Alvarez could have been an option for West Ham at centre-back, where he plays for Mexico. However, he appears to be set for a move to Real Sociedad. Other central defenders West Ham have been linked with this summer include Adam Webster, Harry Souttar and Harold Moukoudi.
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