"Moyes is a long-term admirer" - Journalist drops West Ham transfer claim on 6'4 "leader"

West Ham United manager David Moyes is a ‘long-term admirer’ of Nottingham Forest defender Joe Worrall, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The 25-year-old has been linked with a move away from the City Ground in recent months after putting in a string of impressive performances for his boyhood club.

According to The Sun, West Ham scouts have ‘stepped up their interest’ in Worrall of late following Forest’s rise up the Championship table, and their eye-catching run to the FA Cup quarter-finals.

The report states that Moyes’ recruitment team are advising him to make a move for the 6 foot 4 beast if Steve Cooper’s side fail to win promotion back to the Premier League this season.

A fee between £12 million and £15m is believed to be required in order to prise Worrall away from Forest, but Brentford and Everton have also been credited with an interest in his services.

With Craig Dawson and Issa Diop out of contract in the summer of 2023, neither players’ future is secure, and the Hammers are thought to be in the market for two central defenders over the summer as a result.

And Worrall could be targeted due to his age and profile fitting what Moyes is searching for as he looks to strengthen his defensive options.

Worrall was reportedly on the radar of West Ham last summer, yet a formal offer failed to materialise for the towering centre-back.

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O’Rourke has confirmed that Moyes has been tracking the former England Under-21 international for some time ahead of a potential move.

He told GiveMeSport: “I think David Moyes is a long-term admirer of Joe Worrall; he was interested in previous transfer windows. Worrall has done well for Forest this year.”

During a loan