West Ham have plenty of work to do this summer and a lot of focus will be placed on bolstering the club’s defensive ranks.
The departure of James Collins at the end of his contract was confirmed last week, while there is also speculation orientating around the future’s of Winston Reid, Reece Burke and Reece Oxford.
This, understandably, has led to West Ham identifying targets in the market and the Hammers have long been attributed with an interest in Newcastle United’s highly-rated defender Jamaal Lascelles.
The Newcastle skipper, 24, has attracted the attention of Liverpool and Chelsea, giving West Ham fierce competition in the market for his services, but it’s now reported the Hammers have pulled out of the running.
The Sun (27/05; page 65) claim Newcastle have placed a £30m price-tag upon the head of Lascelles, which is a figure that would exceed the club-record fee West Ham paid for Marko Arnautovic last summer.
Luring Lascelles to the London Stadium would also be difficult anyway given that the England hopeful has recently stated he’s happy at St. James’ Park, after a stellar first campaign back in the Premier League.
