West Ham United have had a bid to sign Barcelona star Hector Fort on loan accepted this week, but it won't include an option to buy, according to Spanish publication Fichajes.
The Hammers have had a torrid start to the 2025/26 campaign, losing their opening two games of the season heavily and conceding eight goals against Sunderland and Chelsea.
Graham Potter's side need reinforcements and they've turned their attention to Barcelona in their quest to find them. Initially, they spoke to the Catalan giants about a deal involving midfielder Marc Casado, but after he refused to leave Camp Nou, they've now opened talks for Fort and have had a loan bid accepted.
West Ham Want Hector Fort on Loan
Hector Fort and Gavi
Following their poor start to the season, it became apparent that West Ham needed to go out and strengthen their team if they're to avoid relegation this season. As a result, they've gone to Barcelona and initially engaged in talks to sign defensive midfielder Casado, but he's turned down the chance to leave Hansi Flick's side this summer.
Instead, they've turned their attention to Fort and have had a bid to take him on loan accepted. The defender is open to the idea of moving to the Hammers too, but only temporarily and was adamant there wouldn't be an option to buy at the end of his stint. According to the report, he sees a move to England as a chance to develop and grow as a player, but considers his future to still be at Barcelona and intends to return once the 2025/26 campaign comes to a close.
While Potter's side have had a bid accepted for the 19-year-old, they aren't the only team interested in his services. Everton, Como and Mallorca have all also taken notice of him and enquired about a potential move. After a number of injuries to their first-team full-backs last season, Fort was handed a chance in the Barcelona side and he played 24 La Liga games throughout the campaign.
He's not currently in Flick's plans, though, and barely featured throughout preseason this summer. He was then left out of the matchday squads for the first two games of this campaign. With Barcelona keen on freeing up some wages as the end of the transfer window approaches, they've decided that a move for Fort is the best solution right now and a deal could reportedly be done as soon as next week.
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