Max Kilman is reportedly set to reunite with Julen Lopetegui at West Ham after Wolves accepted a £40million bid from their Premier League rivals.
Lopetegui managed Kilman during his tenure at Molineux and clearly rates the player highly. West Ham initially had a £25m bid for the Wolves captain rejected last month, but it appears that persistence has paid off.
Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth reported that Kilman underwent medical tests on Thursday evening after Wolves accepted a bid in the region of £40m from West Ham. While some details still need to be ironed out, the transfer is expected to be finalised soon.
Kilman joined Wolves six years ago from fifth-tier side Maidenhead Town for just £40,000. Since then, he has made 151 appearances across all competitions for the Midlands side, becoming a key player under Gary O’Neil last season. Maidenhead are set to benefit significantly from the transfer due to a 15-20 per cent sell-on clause negotiated in the original agreement.
The transfer has also been confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, who famously declares “here we go” on confirmed deals.
Sky reports that Kilman is unlikely to be the only centre-back moving to the London Stadium this summer. Nayef Aguerd’s future is uncertain, and Angelo Ogbonna has left following the expiry of his contract.
West Ham, after seeing a deal for Fabricio Bruno from Flamengo fall through last month, have opened talks with Lyon to sign Irish defender Jake O’Brien.
The Irons had a £25.4m bid rejected by Nice for Jean-Clair Todibo, who is also wanted by new Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. However, Ratcliffe is unable to sign Todibo due to UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules, as he also owns Nice. There are reports that Ratcliffe is contemplating selling the French club.
Sheth noted that West Ham are still considering whether to pursue Todibo. “Jean-Clair Todibo from Nice is an ambitious target for West Ham United, but they did make a bid. We think it was around 30 million euros that was rejected out of hand. Internal discussions are continuing at West Ham United about whether to go back in with an improved offer, or whether they will think it’s probably not going to be possible to get that player, but they are trying to sign him.”
With Kilman’s move nearly complete, West Ham are clearly intent on bolstering their defensive options ahead of the new season, aiming to build a robust squad under Lopetegui’s guidance.