Report: West Ham now in pole position to sign ‘powerful’ 23-year-old midfielder

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According to a report from CalcioMercato, West Ham United are now in pole position to sign Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie.

The American has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League for a while now. It almost seemed certain that he would move to England when he left Schalke in 2020, but Juventus snapped him up.

A year after initially signing him on loan, the Old Lady used their option to buy him permanently for £16 million plus about £5.6 million in potential add-ons. (ESPN) He has impressed in Turin at times, but his future there looks bleak at the moment.

The report claims that Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri and McKennie have had problems off the pitch.

The Italian manager even criticised him for not taking his chances against Spezia recently. He said “McKennie should have scored at least four goals” in a game where he didn’t find the net once. (NBC)

McKennie to West Ham?

The 23-year-old, labelled as ‘powerful‘ by ex-Schalke boss Domenico Tedesco, was heavily linked with a move to the Premier League in the summer. Tottenham were reportedly very keen and Fabio Paratici, who signed McKennie for Juventus, tried really hard to bring him to North London. (Independent)

Just before Spurs entered the frame, West Ham were reportedly keen as well. David Moyes’ side, according to TuttoSport, were battling Everton and Aston Villa for his signature, but no move materialised.

However, if the latest report is to be believed, the Irons are in pole position to secure his signature. McKennie doesn’t have a future at Juventus under Allegri, which means that a move could well be possible in the January transfer window.

A midfield trio of Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek and Weston McKennie would arguably make West Ham a lot stronger than they are now. However, there will surely be other clubs interested in his services if he becomes available in January.