Reports | West Ham United in talks to sign Jesse Lingard on free-transfer
According to ESPN, West Ham have already opened talks with Jesse Lingard over a move on a free transfer once his contract with Manchester United expires. The Englishman is set to leave the Red Devils as a free agent and has been linked with a move to Newcastle United, Juventus and AC Milan as well.
Despite an exceptional six months at West Ham United, the Hammers never made Jesse Lingard’s loan move permanent as they believed Manchester United’s asking price was too high. However, that combined with the promises made by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saw Lingard opt to stay. But the attacker rarely featured under the Norwegian and that didn’t change after he was sacked with Lingard restricted to just four starts, across all competitions, under Ralf Rangnick.
It meant that Lingard finished the season with less than 25 appearances across all competitions and while Manchester United did approach him over a new deal, reports indicated that the 29-year-old rejected the offer. However, ESPN have reported that West Ham have already made the approach to sign Lingard on a free transfer once his contract expires in June. But the Hammers aren’t the only side in the running as Newcastle United, Juventus and AC Milan are all keen on a move for the 29-year-old.
However, the report has indicated that Lingard is one of David Moyes’ top targets for this summer and the forward reportedly believes that West Ham might be his best chance at an England spot. The 29-year-old is targeting a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the 2022 Qatar World Cup and believes that he needs a consistent run of games in order to show his quality. But with AC Milan and Juventus offering the chance to play Champions League football as a key player, the Hammers do, reportedly, have a tough fight on their hands.