Writing on his Patreon profile, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has made a West Ham United transfer claim involving Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car.

The Lowdown: Hammers have bid rejected...

According to reports, amid David Moyes' last-gasp attempts to sign a new centre-back this month, the Irons have actually had an offer rejected for the Croatia international.

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Indeed, The Scottish Daily Mail's print edition (page 75, via West Ham Zone) claim that the east Londoners tabled a loan bid for Caleta-Car which was swiftly turned down as Marseille apparently demand a permanent deal.

He is a familiar name to plenty of Hammers fans as their club had actually 'agreed' a fee to sign him in 2020 (Mike McGrath), but the move eventually fell through.

Alas, it appears they aren't quite done in their efforts to bring the defender to London, with ExWHUemployee now sharing some news.

The Latest: Ex makes Caleta-Car claim...

Writing on Patreon, the club source claimed that 'talks will also happen' with Marseille in this last week of the trabsfer window to see if a possible 'compromise' can be reached as Moyes chases an agreement.

Ex reiterated that West Ham, and by extension recruitment chief Rob Newman, would 'like to initially loan' Caleta-Car, considering that he is unproven in the Premier League.

Marseille do not want to agree a temporary transfer but that apparently won't stop the Irons in their attempts to see if there is a middle ground.

The Verdict: Interesting final week...

West Ham are arguably in dire need of a world-class central defender and backup striker to Michail Antonio, with Moyes running out of time to bolster either one of these positions.

Amassing 20 caps with Croatia at international level, Caleta-Car could prove to be a shrewd addition if West Ham can reach a compromise with his current club.

The 6 foot 3 powerhouse, who was called 'quality' by his defensive partner Alvaro Gonzalez (Ligue 1), could apparently cost up to £20m on an outright permanent deal (talkSPORT) - arguably a small price to pay for a player still fairly young and solid on the big stage.

Over Caleta-Car's Europa League outings this season, only Kurt Zouma has averaged more interceptions per match (three) than the Ligue 1 ace (1.7) when compared to West Ham's current squad (WhoScored). Furthermore, he has managed a consistent two clearances per 90, with only Zouma and Ben Johnson making more among Moyes' squad (WhoScored).

With the clock ticking down quickly on this transfer window, we urge Newman and co to step up their pursuit and back Moyes ahead of a tricky final run of 2021/22.

In other news: ExWHUemployee also says West Ham are eyeing a last minute move for this 'battle-hardened' £20m attacker, find out more here.