West Ham United have reportedly been handed a major boost in their pursuit of Weston McKennie, with Juventus open to selling him.
According to Football Insider, West Ham United have received a significant boost in their pursuit of Weston McKennie after finding that Juventus are considering the January sale of the talented USMNT midfielder, who has fallen out of favour under Massimiliano Allegri.
The 23-year-old midfielder was initially brought on a season-long loan deal from Bundesliga outfit Schalke in the summer last year but was signed permanently following an impressive debut campaign in Turin under then-boss Andrea Pirlo in which he was a regular fixture in the Juventus starting lineup, making 46 appearances while producing six goals and three assists in the process.
However, it seems like the Serie A giants are considering getting the USMNT player off the books. And unfortunately for Mckennie, the sacking of Andrea Pirlo, recurring off-field issues with COVID-19 guideline breaches and a rather mediocre start to his second season in Turin has sent him to the periphery of the Bianconeri’s starting XI.
The former Schalke man has fallen down the pecking order behind Adrien Rabiot, Rodrigo Bentancur and new signing Manuel Locatelli and certainly not in the long-term plans of Massimiliano Allegri, who has chosen to rely on better-experienced players.
McKennie has been constantly in and out of the team this term, starting just four league games and logging just under 350 minutes of footballing action across all fronts. As things stand, it looks like the Serie A giants would be more than happy to net a decent profit while offloading their asset, who still has five years left on his current deal.
This has piqued the interest of suitors from across Europe in the American international, including Tottenham, Aston Villa and West Ham. The report adds that it is understood an overseas proposal has already been tabled for the player, who is eager to test his skills in the Premier League.
West Ham have emerged as the front-runners to sign McKennie, with David Moyes keen to add another energetic central midfielder to his ranks amid the prospect of club captain Mark Noble retiring at the end of the season. While they have signed Alex Kral on a season-long loan deal from Spartak Moscow, he has yet to make his debut in the Premier League or Europa League, which indicates he is still far away from the required first-team level.
Moreover, Declan Rice’s future remains up in the air. Hence, it makes sense for the Hammers to have a readymade replacement available at their disposal, and McKennie would represent to be exactly that statement signing they want and can fit-in very well in the Moyes’s system, with pressing and versatility being a few qualities to the English coach’s liking.
McKennie is a very intelligent footballer who is a jack of all trades. He offers energy, directness, drive and goal-scoring impetus from the midfield. A 25-time capped USMNT international his peak years are still ahead of him at just 23. It would be intriguing to see whether West Ham can seal the signing of McKennie from Juventus come this January.