West Ham United have approached Chelsea over a deal for left-back Emerson Palmieri, 90min understands, with talks ongoing with Paris Saint-Germain for the signing of Thilo Kehrer.
David Moyes is desperate to strengthen his defensive options because of an injury crisis that has forced Ben Johnson to fill in at centre-back alongside Kurt Zouma.
Nayef Aguerd has undergone ankle surgery and is likely ruled out until after the World Cup, Craig Dawson has a hamstring injury and Angelo Ogbonna is still short of fitness after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee last season.
There are also concerns about a long-term degenerative knee problem for Zouma, 90min understands, and the Frenchman has looked far from fit in West Ham’s opening two Premier League defeats to Manchester City and Nottingham Forest.
90min previously reported on West Ham’s interest in Kehrer, who is into the final year of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain, and sources have confirmed that talks are continuing over a permanent deal. The Hammers hope to persuade the Ligue 1 champions to agree to a transfer that could be worth around €15m when all bonuses and add-ons are taken into account.
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There’s also growing interest from West Ham in Chelsea left-back Emerson, who is available for transfer, and 90min has learned that an approach has been made. The Brazilian spent last season on loan at Lyon, performing well, and came up against the Hammers during their sparkling run to the semi-final of the Europa League.
Emerson’s hopes of reviving his Chelsea have been dented by the arrival of Marc Cucurella from Brighton and he’s expected to leave Stamford Bridge on a permanent basis alongside Marcos Alonso, who is a target for cash-strapped Barcelona.
The 28-year-old could provide some much needed competition for Aaron Cresswell, who is the only senior left-back on West Ham’s books after Arthur Masuaku joined Besiktas on loan, as 90min understands that Moyes believes Maxwel Cornet, a recent £17.5m signing from Burnley, is far better suited to being used further forward rather than as a wing-back.