West Ham ‘very interested’ in frozen out player with Prem experience
West Ham are keen to give Alphonse Areola the chance to stay in the Premier League following his loan spell with Fulham, according to reports.
Areola spent the 2020-21 campaign on loan at Craven Cottage, making 37 appearances in all competitions. Despite Fulham’s relegation, he was one of their better performers. However, he has been unable to earn another chance at parent club Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG will sign Gianluigi Donnarumma as a free agent after the conclusion of Euro 2020. They will also retain Keylor Navas, meaning there is no space for Areola back at his hometown club.
Therefore, the 28-year-old may have to leave them again. In doing so, he could end up back in the Premier League – and in the same city where he was last season.
West Ham were mentioned as contenders for his signature back in April, while the season was still ongoing. Now, as Areola’s future becomes a more pressing issue, their stance has now been clarified.
According to Foot Mercato, West Ham are “very interested”, so much so that they want to complete the deal “in the coming days”.
The Hammers currently have Lukasz Fabianski as their number one, but are looking for another option. Now in his mid-30s, the Poland international has signed a contract for next season, but someone else may arrive to take his role as first choice.
That man could well be Areola, with Foot Mercato predicting a loan with an option to buy.
The three-cap France international knows his future lies away from PSG, but it may not be a permanent exit initially. However, if he was to do well, there could be a chance to make such a move a longer-term one.
Olsen another option for West Ham
Any move for Areola would seemingly rule out Robin Olsen joining West Ham.
Olsen spent the 2020-21 season as understudy to Jordan Pickford at Goodison Park while on loan at Everton from Roma. The 31-year-old then rounded out the campaign by starting for his country at Euro 2020, before their exit in the Round of 16.
There were recent reports that he could make the move to the London Stadium this summer. Lille and Real Sociedad were also mentioned as contenders by SportItalia, but West Ham could have given him a Premier League option.
However, it seems their focus has turned to Areola instead, which may be good news for some of Olsen’s other Premier League suitors.
READ MORE: West Ham waiting for obstacle to clear as club make Euro 2020 star’s exit ‘necessity’
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