David Moyes has been hit by a devastating new transfer blow in a Fabrizio Romano update on West Ham left-back target David Raum.
This is fast turning into a week to forget for West Ham in the transfer market.
Monday started with widespread claims that the Hammers could be set for an unprecedented window week as they closed on the signings of Armando Broja, Gianluca Scamacca, Amadou Onana and Jesse Lingard while a bid was said to have been readied for swashbuckling German left-back Raum.
But it has been a disastrous few days for West Ham on and off the pitch.
New £30m defender Nayef Aguerd suffered what looks a serious ankle injury in a lacklustre 3-1 defeat to Rangers.
After the game a seriously agitated Moyes questioned his players – again – and issued a transfer ultimatum to West Ham’s owners.
Thomas Tuchel publicly declared he doesn’t expect Broja to leave Chelsea, Lille continue to ignore West Ham’s attempts to sign Onana, a West Ham insider claimed Moyes had cooled interest in Scamacca and Lingard joined Nottingham Forest.
Now Moyes has been hit by a devastating new transfer blow in a Romano update on West Ham left-back target Raum.
Just 48 hours ago a report from The Times claimed that West Ham were in talks to sign German international Raum and would need to pay around £33 million to Hoffenheim.
But that move also looks set to hit the skids after Romano claimed he has all but signed for RB Leipzig.
“Exclusive: RB Leipzig are in advanced talks to sign David Raum from Hoffenheim on permanent deal,” Romano said on Twitter.
“Negotiations are at final stages, here we go soon.
“Top fullback set to join Leipzig in the next days, after many clubs asked for him in the last months.”
It seems one of those clubs was indeed West Ham. But there is a big difference between asking and getting.
This window is not beyond rescue.
But with the season two weeks away, the business so far is hugely disappointing.
Especially after it emerged that claims Lingard was getting £200k per week at Forest were wildly inaccurate.
Moyes is clearly unhappy with the lack of progress. So the West Ham owners need to seriously up their game and starting paying the money it takes to get deals done for their manager.