West Ham now want to sign £120k-p/w defender ahead of Newcastle in January

West Ham United have now joined the race to sign a cut-price defender in the January transfer window as they look to bolster Julen Lopetegui’s ranks, it has been reported, though they will face competition from Newcastle United.

West Ham splash the cash

It was an expensive summer for the Hammers, with the club spending lavishly in a bid to rejuvenate their squad following the departure of David Moyes. Lopetegui was given command of the side, and the club added nine new faces to their squad in a major overhaul of the side, spending around £132m in the process, the fifth most in the Premier League.

However, early form has seen those hopes of potential European football tempered, and there is an expectation that the club will continue to be active in January no matter who is in the managerial hotseat amid reported pressure on Lopetegui.

One position that they will need to strengthen is at striker, with Michail Antonio having been involved in a horror car crash and likely to miss the remainder of the campaign, while summer addition Fullkrug has managed just four Premier League appearances to date, scoring just once. Now, they could also look to strengthen elsewhere.

West Ham want to sign Manchester United defender

That comes with the Hammers reportedly eyeing up a bargain deal to sign Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof. The east London side have previously been interested in teammate Harry Maguire, but never managed to get a deal over the line for the England international.

Instead, they now appear to have pivoted to his teammate, a player who Maguire himself dubbed “technically brilliant” and a “great footballer”.

The Swedish defender is heading into the final six months of his £120,000 a week deal at Old Trafford, but has played just a single minute of football since the arrival of Ruben Amorim at the club and is likely to depart in the coming months.

As per Caught Offside, West Ham are among the sides showing interest in a cut-price deal to sign him in January, with the Red Devils reportedly ready to let him leave for around £6m rather than lose him for free at the end of the season.

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Karren Brady urging West Ham to hire interesting Julen Lopetegui successor

The vice-chair has a candidate firmly in mind.

They claim that “Newcastle, West Ham and Everton” are all “among his suitors”, alongside sides across Europe. Though West Ham splashed out on two new centre-backs in the most recent transfer window, they have looked anything but assured at the back and have only Konstantinos Mavropanos as a recognised alternative to their first choice pairing as things stand, which could explain why they are eyeing up a potential bargain deal to sign Lindelof.

With plenty of Premier League experience under his belt, he could be a very shrewd signing in the short-term for the east London side.