West Ham United have reportedly made a lucrative contract offer in front of Jesse Lingard in their latest attempt to lure him to the London Stadium.
According to Football Insider, West Ham United are closing in on the capture of soon-to-be free agent Jesse Lingard after holding a fresh set of talks with the English international, as the Hammers attempt to persuade the outgoing Manchester United playmaker back to the London Stadium after his impressive loan spell last year.
Lingard will officially draw curtains on a 22-year association with his boyhood club Manchester United to become a free agent next week after a disappointing 2021/22 season for him and his current employers.
The versatile attacker never quite made a big impression at Manchester United, unable to hold down a starting berth for a sustained period throughout his time at Old Trafford, which was a stark contrast to his short-term starring role at West Ham, and a reunion with the Hammers could well be on the cards.
Indeed, Lingard had the best spell of his career when on a six-month loan at West Ham in 2021. A purple patch that saw him score nine goals in 16 matches to fire David Moyes’s side into the UEFA Europa League. Should the 29-year-old experience a similar vein of form at the start of next season, that could see him stake a claim for a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the World Cup later this year.
The England ace was strongly linked with a loan exit in January but was ultimately not allowed to leave Old Trafford as Manchester United stood firm amid interest from West Ham. The decision proved an imprudent one, as Lingard is now on his way out for free after making little impact in his last season in Manchester.
The 29-year-old stayed put at Old Trafford last summer, turning down advances from West Ham to fight for his place in the first team. But despite his improved form, Lingard was unable to force his way back into the first team, falling out of favour with both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his successor Ralf Rangnick, managing just 355 minutes of Premier League action over the course of last season.
As such, West Ham and Newcastle remain interested in signing the 29-year-old for free and contacted his representatives at the end of the season gone by. But Lingard’s hefty wage demands proved to be the sticking point for the Magpies, who subsequently ceased their pursuit as they were keen not to disrupt their wage structure.
However, Lingard remains a top priority for West Ham this summer as manager David Moyes looks to build upon the club’s success in the last couple of seasons. And it appears they are inching ever-closer, having placed a tempting long-term deal in front of the outgoing Manchester United playmaker, who himself is very keen to return to East London.
The Hammers have already signed highly-rated defender Nayef Aguerd from Rennes for £30 million and are close to completing the permanent capture of goalkeeper Alphonse Areola from Paris Saint-Germain. The forward line seems to be next on Moyes’s agenda going by West Ham’s links with Armando Broja and now Jesse Lingard.
