West Ham prepared to bid £25m for player who Lopetegui has closely watched

West Ham United boss Julen Lopetegui has kept close tabs on a £25 million player – and the Hammers are prepared to bid for him in the new year.

West Ham’s transfer plans for 2025

Centre-back Maximilian Kilman, winger Crysencio Summerville, striker Niclas Fullkrug, Brazilian Luis Guilherme, defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka, goalkeeper Wes Foderingham, Guido Rodriguez, Jean-Clair Todibo and Carlos Soler all put pen to paper on moves to east London before deadline day on 30th August, with technical director Tim Steidten spending £120m in the process.

However, it is believed that the Hammers already have one eye set on the January window, and reports suggest that a new attacking player is very much on the cards for Lopetegui.

West Ham are planning a move for Besiktas playmaker Ernest Muci among their targets, according to some media sources, while Milan forward Samuel Chukwueze is also on Steidten’s radar heading into 2025.

The Irons will see both Danny Ings and Michail Antonio leave when their contracts expire next year, so it would make perfect sense for West Ham to bring in a striker at the turn of the year – or fresh forward options at the very least.

Lopetegui’s side have been sporadically linked with a move for Lyon star Rayan Cherki, with an update coming to light on the Frenchman and West Ham’s rumoured interest.

West Ham prepared to bid £25 million for Cherki

According to reports from Spain, West Ham are prepared to bid £25 million for Cherki, who is valued at around that amount by the Ligue 1 club. It is also believed that Lopetegui has personally been watching the player closely and views him as an ideal potential squad upgrade.

The 21-year-old made 33 French top-flight appearances last season, bagging six assists and a goal, with 10 goal contributions coming the season before that. Still very young, Cherki has plenty of room to develop, making him a pretty astute addition for his reported asking price.

“He’s really an attacking midfielder, although he can also play as a left-winger,” said Eurosport reporter Martin Mosnier last summer.

“Cherki is an exceptional dribbler, one of the first things one notices when watching him is that he appears to be ambipedal, as he can seemingly utilise both feet equally well.

“His strengths are as follows: key passes, dribbling and his ability to create something out of nothing. But, because there’s always a but, he’s not a great defensive contributor and he’s still very inconsistent – but he’s still only 19.”