Fulham set to miss out on 29-year-old

Premier League outfit West Ham United are prepared to trigger the €9m option they have on Paris St-Germain shot-stopper Alphonse Areola to take him to the London Stadium on a permanent basis, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The 29-year-old spent much of the 2021/22 campaign behind Lukasz Fabianski in the pecking order under David Moyes, making 18 appearances in all competitions for the Hammers but appearing just once in the Premier League.

However, he did play a considerable part in their Europa League run to the semi-final before their defeat against Frankfurt at the start of May, though his future remained unclear at that point.

Despite having a £6m offer rejected last summer, West Bromwich Albion shot-stopper Sam Johnstone continued to be linked with a move to the English capital with the 29-year-old available as a free agent as things stand.

Fellow England international Nick Pope was also reported to be on the Hammers’ radar, though they now look set to address their goalkeeping department internally with loanee Areola’s permanent option set to be triggered according to Romano.

The journalist also revealed that the Premier League side will contact the Frenchman’s agents this week as they look to seal this deal quickly – dealing a blow to Fulham who were reportedly interested in a reunion with the shot-stopper.

The Verdict:

Considering he was already accustomed to life at Craven Cottage because of his time with the club during the 2020/21 campaign, this would have been a good addition and considering the price West Ham look set to recruit him for, he is perhaps one of the cheaper candidates to take over from Marek Rodak.

Also already used to life in London because of these spells with the Cottagers and the