West Ham United are making a determined effort to rescue a deal for what the club hope will be their first signing of the summer transfer window.
The player in question is right at the top of a list of targets compiled by West Ham’s head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay and manager Graham Potter.
A crushing update on the situation yesterday meant the Hammers looked destined to miss out.
But there’s been a twist and West Ham are not letting it slip away without a fight.
Potter is determined to rebuild the Hammers around young, talented and hungry stars.
It is a similar missive to when David Moyes returned to east London for a second spell back in 2020.
Potter gets ruthless over West Ham regeneration
While Moyes only partially stuck to that pledge, as he often favoured experience during West Ham’s meteoric rise under him, Potter is very clearly put words into action.
Last week the Hammers boss ruthlessly decided to release four veteran players, three of them senior leadership figures.
Aaron Cresswell, Vladimir Coufal and Lukasz Fabianski have 23 years of service and around 700 games between them for West Ham.
But they also have 107 years too and Potter has decided not to renew any of their contracts as part of his rebuild.
West Ham were already looking for a new centre-back before deciding to let Cresswell – who has arguably been their best one of late – and Coufal, who has played there in a three as back-up, depart.
A number of young centre-backs have been linked with a move to the London Stadium.
West Ham pushing to rescue deal for Egan-Riley as first signing
None more perfect for West Ham’s situation than Burnley’s CJ Egan-Riley.
Former Man City academy star Egan-Riley has been sensational for Burnley’s record-breaking defence in the Championship as the Clarets were promoted back to the Premier League under former three-time Hammer of the Year Scott Parker.
But Egan-Riley is out of contract at the end of the season and is Macaulay’s top defensive target.
It should be no surprise then that Chelsea have also been sniffing around Egan-Riley.
Macaulay arrived at West Ham from Chelsea in January with the Hammers paying £1.2m to reunite him with Potter.
The Scot arrived in east London with a dossier of players he has been scouting as potential Premier League stars and Egan-Riley is one of them.
Hammers feel they can still beat Chelsea owners to star
West Ham’s PSR situation means the club must sell to buy this summer.
So 22-year-old pacy and powerful Egan-Riley is the perfect fit for the Hammers’ overhaul.
Now West Ham are pushing hard to rescue a deal for an impressive first signing of the summer.
Hammers News understands David Sullivan has been trying to get a deal done to convince Egan-Riley and his mother – who is also his agent – that West Ham is the right next step.
The problem is, transfer insider Graeme Bailey revealed yesterday that Egan-Riley could be set to sign a deal with Ligue 1 side Strasbourg – managed by Liam Rosenior, the son of former Hammers hero Leroy.
Strasbourg are owned by BlueCo, who also own Chelsea, and Bailey said the move is with a view to Egan-Riley joining Chelsea at some point in the future.
When that news emerged yesterday, West Ham fans were not impressed.
‘Don’t count West Ham out just yet’
After all if the club is already struggling to compete for free agent signings from the Championship then it paints a bleak picture of how this crucial summer transfer window might pan out.
There is hope, though.
Hammers News understands West Ham are refusing to admit defeat on Egan-Riley.
The club reached out to the player and his mother again yesterday asking to be allowed to match or better the terms on the table from BlueCo.
And West Ham believe they have a trump card in their willingness to put Egan-Riley straight into the first team – alongside Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo – in the Premier League rather than farm him out to Ligue 1 for an unspecified period first.
The player has been advised to think carefully about his next step. Because if things don’t work out in Ligue 1, it could be that he never ends up at Chelsea at all.
West Ham feel talk that a deal is done for Egan-Riley to join Strasbourg is ‘premature’.
The club have also told the player they believe he can make a push for the England squad if he joins West Ham and is playing week in, week out in the Premier League.
Guardian journalist Jacob Steinberg has also reaffirmed information to Hammers News regarding the current state of play.
“West Ham are continuing to look at a deal for Burnley centre-back CJ Egan-Riley despite interest from elsewhere,” said Steinberg, who is well connected at the London Stadium and Chelsea.
‘A fast developing situation but don’t count West Ham out of the race just yet’, Hammers News was told by a top club source overnight.
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