West Ham United are exploring a loan deal for Arsenal winger Reiss Nelson this summer, according to Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth.
Nelson has been out of favour with the Gunners over the past two seasons. He has spent time on loan at Fulham and Brentford, respectively.
The Englishman had a good start to his loan stint at the Cottagers in 2024/25, but it was cut short shortly after a season-ending hamstring injury.
Nelson signed for the Bees last term, but he barely played for them in the Premier League, with just over 100 minutes during the campaign.
Sheth has now revealed that West Ham are keen on signing Nelson, who was an unused substitute in the friendly against Borussia Dortmund on Sunday.
The Hammers are ‘exploring’ the conditions of a loan move for the 26-year-old.
Arsenal could extend Nelson’s contract before loan exit
The Gunners graduate is presently on a £100,000 per week contract until June 2027, but the club have the option to extend for another year.
If Nelson opens the door to join West Ham, Arsenal will no doubt trigger the clause before negotiating terms with the Championship side.
In our view, Arsenal should discuss a season-long loan with the Hammers with a conditional obligation to buy at the end of the 2026/27 season.
A £10-15 million fee seems reasonable for Nelson, who could find consistency in goal contributions with regular first-team action at West Ham.
If the Hammers prefer a straight loan, Arsenal could still save £5.2m in annual wages that could be utilised for a new signing in the coming weeks.
Nelson is also attracting interest from abroad through Benfica and Valencia. Benfica are managed by former Fulham head coach Marco Silva.
Still, we won’t be surprised if Nelson is prepared to drop to the Championship with West Ham, given his recent preference to stay in London.
Stats from Capology & Transfermarkt