West Ham United are reportedly very serious about signing Jesse Lingard from Manchester United and are ready to ramp up their efforts to land the midfielder.
According to a report from Transfer Market Web, West Ham United are ready to intensify their pursuit of Manchester United academy graduate Jesse Lingard in the ongoing transfer window.
Having endured a couple of rough years at Manchester United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, during which he was pushed to the periphery of the first-team, Lingard rediscovered his best touch after signing for West Ham on loan for the second half of the last season.
The 28-year-old went on to score nine goals and set up five more in just 16 appearances for the Hammers, playing an integral role in their sixth-place finish. Given the impact that he made in a short time, it is no surprise that West Ham boss David Moyes is intent on re-signing him on a permanent basis.
However, it is now seeming like Lingard could have a future at Manchester United. The England international was a regular fixture in pre-season until he contracted coronavirus, which led to him missing the Everton friendly as well as the Premier League season opener against Leeds United.
Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, however, has hinted that Lingard remains a part of his plans. However, that has seemingly not dissuaded West Ham United, who are serious about bringing back the 28-year-old to the London Stadium and are set to step up their efforts to do so in the coming days.
Lingard, during his time at West Ham, played in multiple positions in attack and flourished greatly, with the east Londoners’ counter-attacking style of play making the best use of his abilities in the final third of the pitch. With the Hammers not signing a new forward to support Michail Antonio as well as missing out on Matheus Pereira, the 28-year-old would walk right back into Moyes’ side.
A combination of Antonio, Lingard, Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma can cause opposition defences a whole lot of trouble. Furthermore, with West Ham playing in the UEFA Europa League this season, the Manchester United attacking midfielder’s experience in the continental competitions would also be of great value for the Irons.
The report further adds that Lingard himself is keen on securing a switch to West Ham, while there is some interest from rivals Leicester City as well. The ball is now firmly in Manchester United’s court. With the 28-year-old’s contract expiring in less than a year, this window represents their last chance of making some decent cash from a sale, unless they convince him to sign a new contract.
With less than two weeks left for the transfer window to close, we expect things to pick up pace on this front in the coming days.
