West Ham are keeping a close on eye on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s position at Arsenal, according to The Times‘ report last week.
The 23-year-old reportedly wants to leave the Emirates Stadium this summer following yet another season of disappointment on the pitch and uncertainty surrounding Arsene Wenger’s future.
The midfielder, who has been in impressive form for Arsenal this season despite the club’s embarrassing exit to Bayern Munich in the Champions League and their precarious position in the Premier League, will reportedly reject any offer to extend his deal beyond the summer of 2018.
According to reports, this has alerted West Ham, who will be in the market for considerable reinforcements this summer after making so many poor signings in last year’s transfer window.
The aim will be to target Premier League quality players who will definitely add strength to Slaven Bilic’s side, instead of sniffing out cheap free transfers and gambling on loans signings.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would be the perfect signing in that respect, with the England international making 122 Premier League appearances for the Gunners since signing from Southampton in 2011.
During that time he has scored nine goals and assisted a further 15, proving that he is capable of being a considerable threat in front of goal when given then chance.
With Sofiane Feghouli’s long-term Hammers future still in doubt, despite a recent uplift in from, and Gokhan Tore’s inevitable return to Besiktas, investing in an experienced attacking midfielder who can play out wide should be high on Bilic’s priority list.
The Times claims Liverpool and Manchester City are also keeping a close eye on Oxlade Chamberlain’s situation at Arsenal, which could scupper any hope of West Ham securing a move.
However, the report also claims the midfielder wants to expose himself to a fresh training methods and tactics, as well as move to a side where he can be considered a key player, which is currently not the case in North London.
It is not yet know how much it would cost to tempt Arsenal in to selling, but with the former Saints man approaching the final year of his contract, it’s widely believed he could be alllowed to leave the Emirates for a cut-price fee.
Transfermarkt.com value Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at £17m.