Wolves accept West Ham's bid in region of £40m for captain Max Kilman; Hammers made improved bid after seeing their opening £25m offer last month rejected by Wolves; West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui set to be reunited with Kilman, whom he managed in his time at Wolves
Saturday 6 July 2024 16:25, UK
Max Kilman has completed his West Ham medical ahead of his move from Wolves after a bid in the region of £40m was accepted for the defender.
The two clubs are finalising the details of the deal following West Ham's improved offer for the Wolves captain.
The Hammers had an opening £25m bid rejected by Wolves last month, which fell considerably short of the Molineux club's valuation.
But West Ham have upped their offer by around £15m and have found an agreement with Wolves over a move for the 27-year-old.
New Irons boss Julen Lopetegui is now set to be reunited with Kilman, whom he managed in his nine months in charge at Wolves.
Kilman is set to depart Molineux after six years at the club having joined from non-League Maidenhead in a £40,000 deal in August 2018.
Maidenhead have a significant sell-on clause, thought to be between 15 per cent and 20 per cent.
Kilman, who has made 151 appearances in all competitions for the club, only signed a new Wolves long-term contract less than 12 months ago following interest from Napoli last summer.
West Ham could be in the market for two central defenders in this summer's transfer window.
Nayef Aguerd's future at the club is uncertain amid strong interest from Saudi Arabia and Angelo Ogbonna left at the end of his contract.
Internal discussions continue over whether they will go back in for Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo after having a €30m (£25.4m) bid rejected by the French club.
West Ham are also in talks with Lyon over the signing of Republic of Ireland international defender Jake O'Brien.
Last month, the Hammers saw a deal to sign Flamengo defender Fabricio Bruno break down over personal terms.
Wolves defender Max Kilman is not the first to go from non-League to Premier League but his tale comes with a twist - he is an England futsal international.
Futsal is a variant of football with five players on each side, but it is not five-a-side as we know it. There are no walls, kick-ins are used instead, and back passes are restricted. The game is particularly huge in Brazil and Spain, the two top-ranked teams in the world, where futsal is traditionally used as a development tool for young footballers.
Kilman's own path was a little bit different, as Michael Skubala, the England futsal head coach explains. "Max didn't do futsal within a football environment, he did futsal within a futsal environment," he tells Sky Sports. "That is to say, he had come out of the professional football system and was in the futsal system being coached by futsal coaches.
"His journey is quite unique in England."
Read Adam Bate's feature on Kilman's journey and what it could mean for futsal…
The 2024 summer transfer window in the Premier League and Scottish Premiership is officially open.
The window will close on August 30 at 11pm UK time in England and at 11.30pm in Scotland.
The Premier League and Scottish Premiership brought forward Deadline Day to link up with the other major leagues in Europe. The closing dates were set following discussions with the leagues in England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.
