West Ham transfer target Aaron Ramsdale’s “preference” is to stay in England if he leaves Southampton this summer, according to reports.
The 27-year-old only made the £20m switch to the South Coast from Arsenal last year but GiveMeSport claim that he has now told the Saints that “he wants to leave.”
Clubs in Turkey, in addition to the Hammers and Sunderland, have been circling Ramsdale in recent weeks.
Most Read on Hammers Headlines
However, it seems as if the England international is keen on joining a Premier League team.
Ramsdale is not West Ham’s top target
Despite suggestions that the shot-stopper has a £20m release clause in his contract, Graham Potter’s side have not made a concerted move to sign him yet.
While the sale of Mohammed Kudus does free up the funds required to buy Ramsdale, it appears as if head coach Graham Potter is looking at recruiting alternatives.
It is believed that Leicester City’s Mads Hermansen and Parma’s Zion Suzuki are higher up the list of options, with the club only maintaining a watching brief on Ramsdale.
A loan-to-buy arrangement has been considered
Insider source ExWHUEmployee has claimed that West Ham may consider tabling a loan offer for Ramsdale, with an option to buy.
However, it is doubtful that Southampton would be willing to sanction such a deal at the moment. With Sunderland, in particular, throwing around a lot of money, Will Still’s team may be waiting to see whether the Black Cats table a sizeable offer.
If Ramsdale is still at St Mary’s as we close in on the final weeks of the transfer window, it could be a move that is revisited by the Hammers if they haven’t already signed another goalkeeper by then.
In other news, West Ham have been linked with a move for an Ivory Coast international keeper