West Ham are set to open talks with former loanee Jesse Lingard, according to reports from ESPN.
The Manchester United academy graduate is leaving the club at the end of the season after 22 years at the club, in which he made 232 appearances for the Red Devils.
West Ham have already made contact with his representatives following the conclusion of the Premier League season.
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Reputable journalist Fabrizio Romano reported the news earlier this month that United were letting Lingard go.
"Jesse Lingard has decided to leave Manchester United since January and his position won’t change. He will now consider many bids. Staying at United was never an option."
Romano continued with, "Lingard wanted to move to Newcastle on January's Deadline Day but it wasn’t possible due to United's decision".
The Magpies have since distanced themselves from Lingard, setting sights on other targets for the coming summer.
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Lingard had a tremendously successful loan-spell at West Ham back in 2021, scoring nine goals in 16 appearances to spearhead the Irons into the Europa League. This earned him a recall to the England squad and a spot in Gareth Southgate’s preliminary squad for EURO 2021.
He was rumoured to join permanently but with United’s demands stretching out of their reach, Lingard stayed for another season despite not getting game time at Old Trafford.
He made just four starts across all competitions in 2021/22, and wasn’t even included in manager Ralf Rangnick’s squad for their final day defeat against Crystal Palace.
West Ham will have to fend off interest from four other Premier League clubs as well as Italian giants Inter Milan and Juventus.
Topics: Jesse Lingard, West Ham United, Manchester United, Premier League, Transfers
Chris Stonadge