West Ham are reportedly preparing another bid to lure Manchester United playmaker Jesse Lingard back to the London Stadium in January.
According to the Express, West Ham United are set to step up their efforts in the pursuit of Jesse Lingard. The east Londoners are leading the race to sign the Manchester United playmaker, whose current contract at Old Trafford expires at the end of the season. West Ham believe Manchester United will be tempted to cash in on Lingard in January rather than letting him go for free next summer.
The Hammers have been linked with a move for the Englishman for quite some time now. They were keen on securing his services in the summer transfer window, but the player surprisingly denied their advances in favour of a prolonged stay at Old Trafford.
After a highly successful loan spell at West Ham that saw him being involved in 14 goals in 16 league matches during the second half of last season, Lingard wanted to fight for a place in the starting eleven at Manchester United.
However, as we reach the halfway point of the campaign, the move has backfired badly, with the player featuring in just 87 minutes of league football this term. There were suggestions that the 29-year-old had the intention of staying put at Old Trafford in January after the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but things have not improved under interim boss Ralf Rangnick.
It has once again put West Ham on red alert, with the club reportedly preparing an improved deal to lure the Englishman back to the London Stadium. The former Manchester United coach is desperately looking for a new attacker in January, someone who can complement Michail Antonio in the final third and prove to be an upgrade over Andriy Yarmolenko.
The out of favour Ukrainian forward may even leave West Ham in January amid interest from Genoa. It should pave the way for the club to re-sign Lingard from Manchester United, whose versatility and productivity should add another dimension to the West Ham attack.
However, the east Londoners are set to face stiff competition from Newcastle United in the pursuit of Lingard. Thanks to the takeover by the Public Investment Fund, the Magpies have cash to burn and would be willing to offer the Manchester United playmaker a much more lucrative contract in January.
It points to an exciting transfer duel between these two Premier League sides, and it will be interesting to see whether Lingard turns down West Ham once again, this time in favour of securing a bigger paycheck at St. James’ Park.
