Lewis O’Brien is attracting further interest from the Premier League as West Ham United and Crystal Palace join the queue for the Huddersfield midfielder.
According to TEAMtalk, Lewis O’Brien is attracting plenty of interest from Premier League clubs, who want to sign the midfielder in the summer window. The emergence of a release clause in the Huddersfield Town star’s contract makes things interesting with as many as three clubs set for the scrap.
Lewis O’Brien has developed himself into one of the finest midfielders in this Huddersfield Town side, who are vying for promotion to the Premier League. A crucial player in the setup, he has made 34 appearances in all competitions this term for the Terriers, who are wary of the growing interest in their star man.
Huddersfield had to ward off interest in their 23-year-old during the winter transfer window, as they wanted to keep hold of him and stand a strong chance of progressing out of the Championship. Leeds United relentlessly chased O’Brien before January, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side even having a reported £7 million offer rejected.
With interest mounting in the January transfer window, Leeds went ahead with another bid, although Huddersfield held their ground and kept the midfielder at the club. They might not have that kind of a grip in the summer when more sides are expected to enter the chase, while there is another twist in the tale.
Reports have revealed the existence of a release clause worth £12 million in O’Brien’s contract. Clubs will have to pay the full amount to get him out of Huddersfield, which is reasonable for any Premier League side. Unsurprisingly, more teams have joined the chase, with London outfits West Ham Untied and Crystal Palace reportedly keen.
The Hammers could be interested in adding O’Brien to their ranks to boost their squad options. The midfielder certainly would add quality depth, which could be useful for a club that are making inroads in European football and seem like they would regularly feature in continental competitions from here on.
Palace would also be looking for something similar. Patrick Vieira has developed a reputation for developing young players into world-beaters, as seen with Conor Gallagher and Michael Olise. O’Brien could be in for a similar experience and could essentially replace Gallagher, who is likely to return to Chelsea once his loan deal expires.
Apart from these two clubs, Leeds United remain interested in O’Brien, while the likes of Burnley, Wolves and Norwich City are also keen. It remains to be seen which of these clubs tempts the midfielder away from Huddersfield.
Taking the release clause into account, the idea of a transfer battle based on excess fees gets ruled out, although the idea of convincing the player’s desire remains the big factor in determining who wins the race for the 23-year-old midfielder.
