West Ham may be blessed by Nick Pope in a bid to beat Newcastle to another signing after seeing off their Nayef Aguerd interest.
One report this week summed up how many West Ham fans are feeling about Newcastle right now when they described their interest in Moyes’s targets as ‘obsessive’.
It is easy to see why.
Newcastle reportedly made an 11th hour bid to hijack West Ham’s £30m West Ham deal with Rennes for Moroccan defender Nayef Aguerd this week.
West Ham were already busy trying to fight off Newcastle in order to get on loan goalkeeper Areola signed up to a permanent deal.
The Hammers and Newcastle have also reportedly been locked in transfer battles over Jesse Lingard, Sven Botman and Hugo Ekitike in recent months.
And this we heard the Magpies were yet again trying to scupper West Ham’s transfer plans with a move for Aguerd.
That looks sets to be unsuccessful with Aguerd set to be unveiled as a Hammers signing today or over the weekend.
Now West Ham could be blessed by a Pope in their bid to beat Newcastle to another signing after seeing off the Aguerd interest.
West Ham were said to be concerned by Newcastle’s interest in Areola.
The Daily Mail claimed Newcastle entering the race for the France goalkeeper had stalled discussions between West Ham and the Hammers fan favourite.
But it seems Newcastle have now firmly switched attentions to relegated Burnley goalkeeper Pope – who had also been linked with – you guessed it – WEST HAM.
It seems Eddie Howe and his backroom scouts are sitting back and watching who West Ham go for in the hope they can offer them more money to join Newcastle instead.
Pope wants to stay in the Premier League and Newcastle have now made a firm move to bring him to St James’s Park according to Sky Sports.
That tallies with a new report from The Sun who claim West Ham are pushing to get a deal done for 29-year-old Areola.
They say money is the root of all evil and it certainly has far too much influence in the modern game.
But thankfully it seems it was not the be all and end all for West Ham’s two imminent signings after the hijack attempts from Newcastle.