West Ham United are reportedly lining up a move for Rangers defender Connor Goldson who is in the final year of his contract with the Scottish champions.
According to a report from Football Insider, West Ham United are considering a move for 28-year-old English defender Connor Goldson, who plies his trade with Scottish bigwigs Rangers.
Goldson came through the youth ranks at Shrewsbury Town and went on to make over 100 appearances before making the switch to Brighton & Hove Albion in 2015. However, the defender did not see much game-time with the Seagulls owing to fitness issues as well as competition for places, before eventually ending up at Rangers in 2018.
Since arriving at the Ibrox, though, Goldson has been able to turn around his career in a fine manner. Indeed, the 28-year-old has firmly established himself as a mainstay at the heart of the Rangers’ defence, racking up 170 appearances in three years at the club, scoring 17 goals and setting up five more as well.
An ever-present in Steven Gerrard’s side when fit and available, Goldson has entered the final year of his contract with the Gers. This led to approaches for him back in the summer transfer window, but they were turned down by Rangers as they sought to tie the Englishman down to a new contract.
While the stance from the club’s perspective has not changed, talks over a new deal are yet to take place, which has alerted West Ham United, who are now considering a swoop for the 28-year-old. The Hammers strengthened their defensive unit this past summer with the signing of Kurt Zouma from Chelsea.
However, their current first-choice pairing of Craig Dawson and Angelo Ogbonna are well into their thirties and will need to be phased out slowly, which makes the addition of another central defender in the summer next year a necessary move on the club’s part.
Goldson, to that end, can be a handy signing for the east London giants. At 28, he is in the peak years of his career, has plenty of experience of playing in England while he also has some degree of exposure to European football, having taken part in the UEFA Europa League with Rangers during his time at the club.
Furthermore, his availability on a free transfer would make him an even more appealing target for David Moyes & co. What now remains to be seen is if West Ham do launch a move for him next year or whether he ends up signing a new contract with the Gers.