West Ham United are reportedly scouring the prospect of signing Billy Gilmour on loan from Chelsea for the rest of the 2020/21 season.
According to a report by Daily Mirror, Billy Gilmour is being eyed by West Ham United over the prospect of a short-term loan deal. The Hammers are exploring the possibility of snapping up the Chelsea midfielder for the remainder of the 2020/21 season before the January transfer window slams shut.
Gilmour came through the ranks at Scottish giants Rangers before making his way to Chelsea in 2017. And, in a couple of years, the young midfielder impressed the coaches enough to be promoted to the first-team squad, for whom he made a number of appearances last season.
Till date, Gilmour has featured 17 times for Chelsea, earning a lot of plaudits every time he has turned out for the Blues. However, after returning from a long-term knee injury, the 19-year-old found himself competing with Jorginho and N’Golo Kante for one spot in the side, which has been detrimental for his growth as well as his prospects with the Scottish national side.
With the European Championship coming up in the summer, Gilmour has been eager to seal a loan move away from Chelsea in order to boost his chances for Scotland. And now, Chelsea’s London rivals West Ham United are ready to offer him regular minutes for the rest of the season.
David Moyes has a lot of admiration for Gilmour and is eager to find out whether he features in new Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel’s plans for the remainder of 2020/21. If not, they intend to make a late move for the 19-year-old, hoping to snap him up before the January transfer window slams shut.
However, Gilmour’s prospects at West Ham might not be too bright, seeing as Declan Rice, who was a target for Chelsea not too long ago, and Tomas Soucek are nailed on as the first-choice pair in the double pivot in Moyes’s 4-2-3-1, with even club captain Mark Noble not being a regular.
A move elsewhere might be more beneficial for Gilmour, with Napoli previously registering their interest in him. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if West Ham succeed in reaching an agreement with Chelsea over a possible late swoop for the Scottish midfielder, or if they are forced to miss out on his services.