Lopetegui has Kilman among West Ham targets but Paquetá charge hits plans
West Ham’s plans to overhaul their squad after confirming the appointment of Julen Lopetegui, who wants the Wolves defender Maximilian Kilman among at least six signings, will be affected by the Football Association charging Lucas Paquetá with alleged betting breaches.
Paquetá has an £85m release clause and was a target for Manchester City. But he is unlikely to move this summer and West Ham had factored his potential sale into their budget. It is understood that they have been preparing for both scenarios but the absence of a big sale would leave Lopetegui with less money to spend. West Ham are determined to keep the Ghana attacker Mohammed Kudus, whose release clause becomes active next year.
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Lopetegui, who vowed to “make a big, big noise” after replacing David Moyes, has held talks over plans to make six to eight signings. West Ham are looking for two central defenders, a right-back, a midfielder, a right-footed left winger and a forward. They are also looking to sign a third-choice goalkeeper.
West Ham, who have handed Lopetegui a two-year deal with the option of a one-year extension, are prioritising defensive reinforcements after conceding 74 goals in the Premier League. They have explored a deal to sign the 28-year-old Brazil centre-back Fabrício Bruno from Flamengo, and intend to revive their move for Kilman, who was targeted by Moyes in January.
Wolves will want about £45m for Kilman, who is one of their most important players. It will not be easy to sign Gary O’Neil’s captain, even though Wolves have financial challenges. West Ham have also been monitoring the Hull centre-back Jacob Greaves.
Moyes’s back four struggled with form and fitness last season. Kurt Zouma, the captain, has had injury problems and Nayef Aguerd wants to leave. Angelo Ogbonna has not been offered a new deal and Konstantinos Mavropanos has been unconvincing since joining from Stuttgart. West Ham also need an upgrade on Vladimir Coufal at right-back, particularly with Ben Johnson due to depart.
Ademola Lookman, who scored a hat-trick in Atalanta’s triumph over Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final, has been mentioned as a possibility on the left wing. There is interest in Sporting Lisbon’s Marcus Edwards and Coventry’s Callum O’Hare. Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy is an option up front and West Ham will be offered the chance to sign Chelsea’s Armando Broja.
Lopetegui has brought five backroom staff with him and will consult with Tim Steidten, the technical director, on transfers. The Spaniard has arrived after Moyes departed at the end of four and a half successful years. Lopetegui, who won the Europa League with Sevilla, has been out of work since leaving Wolves last summer.
“We had other opportunities but I am very happy that West Ham chose me because I chose West Ham too, so we are really happy about this,” Lopetegui said. “We came here with the idea and the thought to make a big, big noise.”
The 57-year-old, who will officially start on 1 July, said of setting his sights high: “I feel that we have a fantastic platform. I think the last few years have been very good years to have this base, of course, but my ambition as a coach is always to be better and better, to achieve more and bigger aims and to encourage and improve the players, the team, and to compete because football is about this – to compete. We are very ambitious about this.”