West Ham are planning to make a new offer for Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car, according to Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur.
The Lowdown: Caleta-Car profiled
Caleta-Car is 24 years of age and has been with the French club since 2018. The Croatia international, who stands at 6 foot 3, has made 91 appearances for Marseille in all competitions, scoring on three occasions.
He’s never been valued higher than his current £22.5m Transfermarkt valuation and is represented by the same agency as Jack Grealish and Mason Mount.
Konur claims that the Hammers have had a £12m bid rejected for the centre-back, but it doesn’t seem as if they have given up hope of securing his services this summer.
The Latest: New bid
According to Konur, the Irons are planning to hold further talks with Marseille over a deal for the centre-back.
He took to Twitter on Saturday morning to share the news, with Caleta-Car possibly becoming the club’s first big-money signing of the summer.
The journalist outlined: “West Ham are planning to raise their offer and hold talks with Marseille again.”
The Verdict: Need to get a move on
The Hammers could be way off with their opening £12m offer for Caleta-Car, especially when you take into his consideration his Transfermarkt valuation.
Time is ticking, and with the new season just days away, West Ham now need to start getting deals over the line.
Securing a new centre-back for David Moyes, potentially Caleta-Car, may turn out to be a solid start and could then allow the club to focus on a new centre-forward, with Michail Antonio currently the only recognised striker at the London Stadium.
In other news: Many West Ham fans flock to official club announcement, find out more