Hammers targeting loan deal for Alphonse Areola, with option to make the move permanent; PSG 'keeper spent the 2020/21 season on loan at Fulham; 28-year-old has three caps for France and was part of squad that won 2018 World Cup
Thursday 29 July 2021 16:28, UK
West Ham are in talks with Paris Saint-Germain over signing goalkeeper Alphonse Areola on a season-long loan.
The Hammers will also have the option to make the deal for the 28-year-old France international permanent.
Areola is back at PSG after spending the 2020/21 season on loan at Fulham.
He made 37 appearances for the club in all competitions, but was unable to help save them from relegation to the Championship.
Areola - who has three Ligue 1 and two French Cup winners' medals - has two years remaining on his PSG contract.
He came through the club's academy before spending time on loan with Lens, Bastia, Villarreal and Real Madrid, where he won La Liga.
However, he is behind Keylor Navas and Sergio Rico in the pecking order at PSG, and he is likely to fall even further when they complete the expected signing of Italy's Euro 2020 hero Gianluigi Donnarumma on a free transfer from AC Milan.
If Areola moves to West Ham, he would be competing with Lukasz Fabianski, Darren Randolph and David Martin for the starting spot.
Fabianski is the current No 1, with the 36-year-old playing 37 times in all competitions last season.
He helped West Ham to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League last season, which will see them enter the Europa League in the upcoming campaign.
David Moyes' side have had a quiet summer so far, with the permanent signing of Craig Dawson - who was on loan at the London Stadium from Watford last season - their only arrival so far.
West Ham are in advanced talks to sell Felipe Anderson back to Lazio, three years after the midfielder left the Serie A club.
In 2018, Anderson moved to West Ham for a club-record £36m, signing a four-year contract.
Initially, he was a regular for West Ham, making 36 Premier League appearances in 2018-19, but he fell out of favour upon David Moyes' return to the cl
ub as manager.
The 28-year-old spent last season on loan at Porto, where he played only 10 times in all competitions, while the Hammers were challenging for a top-four place under Moyes.
According to Sky Italy, Lazio - who are now managed by former Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri - will pay €3m (£2.6m) and West Ham will have a 50-per-cent sell-on clause.
