West Ham United have ‘held initial talks’ with Paris Saint-Germain over defender Thilo Kehrer, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.
The Lowdown: Defensive additions
The Hammers have already welcomed a fresh centre-back to the London Stadium this summer with the arrival of Nayef Aguerd from Rennes in a deal worth £30m.
However, during pre-season, the new Irons ace suffered an injury to his ankle, limping off the pitch in his side’s 3-1 defeat to Rangers.
After undergoing successful ankle surgery, The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas revealed that there is “no timeframe on how long Nayef Aguerd will be sidelined”.
With Issa Diop set to join newly-promoted Fulham, the need for an extra central defender has arisen once again at West Ham.
The Latest: Sheth’s news
Sheth has shared an update on the Hammers’ centre-back situation, touting interest in a Ligue 1 star.
Taking to Twitter, the Sky Sports journalist claimed:
“West Ham United have held initial talks with PSG over the signing of defender Thilo Kehrer. Sevilla are also interested – they can offer Champions League football. West Ham looking to bring in a central defender before Sunday’s game at Nottingham Forest.”
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The Verdict: Fantastic signing
Having arrived in the French capital in 2018 after joining from Schalke in a deal worth £33m, the Germany international has gone on to make 85 appearances in Ligue 1.
Analysing his underlying stats, it becomes obvious as to why David Moyes would like to see him in a claret and blue shirt this summer.
As per FBRef, compared with positional peers across Europe over the past year, the 25-year-old ranks in the 99th percentile for pass completion, in the 91st percentile for passes attempted, in the 89th percentile for non-penalty goals and in the 84th percentile for aerials won, coupling a real physical presence with elite ball playing skills.
Hailed as one of Germany’s fastest players by SportsMob, it appears Kehrer has all the attributes to succeed in the Premier League.
Therefore, with big competition on their hands for the defender, this would be a brilliant coup for West Ham if they get a deal over the line.