West Ham: 'Mistake' if £16.2m star doesn't move to London Stadium

West Ham United not signing Jesse Lingard would be a “mistake”, according to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook.

The £16.2m-rated attacker is a free agent following his release from Manchester United last month, but the England international is yet to decide where he’ll be playing his football next season.

Despite missing out on Lingard in each of the last two transfer windows, David Moyes remains keen on bringing the 29-year-old back to the London Stadium.

Prior to his contract expiring at Old Trafford, The Athletic claimed that West Ham were in talks with Lingard.

ESPN then reported that the ex-Red Devils star could be on his way to the MLS, having travelled stateside to discuss a potential move to America’s top-flight.

But David Ornstein revealed that Lingard won’t be moving to the USA, with the forward expected to decide on his future before Friday.

Lingard also had a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia, which would see him paid an incredible £10m per year, while he has also three Premier League offers.

With West Ham likely to be one of those three sides, Crook reckons that Lingard simply must reunite with Moyes in east London.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “Obviously he’s in America at the moment sounding out options there, but I think that would be a bad move for him.

“I think if he doesn’t go to West Ham, it’s a mistake.”

The Telegraph revealed earlier this summer that Newcastle are out of the running to sign Lingard following his £150,000 per-week wage demands, but the same outlet revealed that Tottenham were ‘considering’ a move.

Antonio Conte’s side are short of homegrown players and while Lingard might not be top of their attacking list of targets, he would help out in that department, while he’s also available for nothing.