West Ham had just one centre-back fully fit for their Premier League opener against Manchester City on Sunday; Germany international Thilo Kehrer has one year remaining on his contract at PSG; Hammers are also monitoring Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher's situation
Wednesday 10 August 2022 16:24, UK
West Ham have made an improved offer to sign Paris Saint-Germain defender Thilo Kehrer after having their first bid rejected.
The 25-year-old Germany international, who can play at right-back and centre-back, has been identified as a defensive target by the Hammers.
West Ham are now awaiting a response from the Ligue 1 champions and have other options to pursue if an agreement cannot be reached.
Kehrer has one year left to run on his contract and his signing would be a welcome defensive addition to David Moyes' squad in the midst of an injury crisis.
The Hammers had just one centre-back, Kurt Zouma, fit for Sunday's Premier League defeat against Manchester City, with summer signing Nayef Aguerd and Craig Dawson out injured and Angelo Ogbonna yet to return to full fitness after a long-term knee injury.
Kehrer, capped 20 times by Germany, joined PSG from Schalke in 2018 and has won seven major honours, including three Ligue 1 titles, during his time at the Parc des Princes.
West Ham are also keeping an eye on midfielder Conor Gallagher's situation at Chelsea, but the feeling is he will remain at Stamford Bridge.
Gallagher spent last season on loan at Crystal Palace, scoring eight goals in 34 Premier League appearances.
The 22-year-old's contract with the Blues does not expire until June 2025.
European football expert Andy Brassell on Sky Sports News:
"He's a player who absolutely wants to play games right now because he wants to be in that Germany XI for the World Cup, so he has to move.
"In most cases, PSG would find players on his kind of wages, even though he's only got a year left on his contract, quite difficult to shift, but his will is to go.
"It was said a couple of weeks back that he seemed to have agreed terms with Sevilla. That has stalled a little bit despite the fact he'd have taken an enormous cut in wages to go out there.
"I think it would be great for West Ham. He's a player that has looked decent at PSG without setting the world alight, but he's outperformed a lot of expectations particularly in the last year-and-a-half when they've been really trying to get rid of him.
"He's still showed up, been really professional, trained hard, been good at centre-back and right-back when he's played, there's just not the opportunity for him at PSG at the moment."
Torino have agreed a deal with West Ham for the signing of forward Nikola Vlasic.
The deal is a loan with an option to buy for £15m including add-ons.
Vlasic flew to Italy on Tuesday ahead of a medical with the club.
West Ham signed Vlasic on a five-year contract last summer for a fee worth £30m including add-ons.
Who will be on the move this summer when the transfer window closes at 11pm on September 1?
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
