West Ham now 'quietly confident' of signing £120k-a-week star at London Stadium

West Ham are “quietly confident” that they will sign goalkeeper Alphonse Areola this summer, claims Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

The Frenchman spent last season on loan at the London Stadium and is now thought to be attracting interest from other clubs, but Sheth says the Hammers still fancy their chances of buying him outright.

According to The Sun, Newcastle United are eyeing Areola as Eddie Howe looks to bring in a new No.1 this transfer window.

The same outlet, though, says West Ham, who are closing in on Nayef Aguerd, are pushing to sign the 29-year-old permanently after agreeing a £7.6m buy option with his parent club Paris Saint-Germain last year.

Areola made just one league start last term, though he was a regular in the east London club’s run to the Europa League semi-final.

First-choice goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is 37 years of age now, so while Areola did not get an incredible amount of game time during the 2021/22 season, the next couple of campaigns could be a different story if he does opt to join West Ham permanently this summer.

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While Areola is attracting interest from elsewhere, Sheth has told GIVEMESPORT there is a confidence at West Ham that they will still sign him.

Speaking to GMS, the Sky Sports reporter said: “It seems there are other clubs who have started to make their interest known in Areola, but I think West Ham are quietly confident that they can get that one over the line. And who knows? Potentially a long-term replacement for Lukasz Fabianski.”

Areola is definitely a player West Ham should be looking to keep in their squad. As already mentioned, Fabianski is not getting any younger, and the World Cup winner