West Ham have been attempting to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United for the last few weeks.
Fabrizio Romano recently claimed that talks between West Ham and Manchester United regarding Wan-Bissaka were progressing well, with Erik ten Hag keen to sell the defender.
However, a later story from The Sun revealed that the Londoner wants Manchester United to buy out his contract, with West Ham struggling to pay his £100,000-a-week salary.
Now – however – West Ham seemed to have moved on from Aaron Wan-Bissaka altogether…
West Ham make contact to sign Arnau Martinez
A story from Mundo Deportivo in Spain now states that West Ham are pushing to sign Arnau Martinez from Girona.
The Spanish news outlet claim that West Ham have told the Girona No.4 about the level of confidence they have in him becoming a success in east London, and the right-back is yet to sign a new deal with just 11 months remaining on his current contract.
That contract includes a €20m (£17m) release clause – so West Ham certainly have a clear route into completing this signing.
Martinez only made 14 starts in La Liga last season – fewer than he perhaps expected, according to the story – and Mundo Deportivo believe Girona will have to convince the Spaniard that a greater role awaits him ahead of a 2024/25 campaign where UEFA Champions League football is on the schedule.
However, West Ham are pushing hard to sign the 21-year-old, as Mundo Deportivo even add that a bid has already been made for the man from Premia de Dalt, with a suggestion that it might have come from the London Stadium.
The Spain U21 international made 26 appearances in all competitions last season, providing three assists.
Smart alternative
It seems West Ham might have used data analysis to find Martinez, who Arsenal scouted back in October 2023, as an alternative to Wan-Bissaka.
As Football Transfers shows, the Spaniard is one of the most comparable right-backs to the Manchester United No.29 in all of Europe, whereas data site FBref show he is also similar to Vladimir Coufal, in terms of pass completion, assists and clearances.
If Tim Steidten – Director of Football at the London Stadium – can wrap up a deal to sign this incredibly promising defender for just £17m, it would look to be fine business on paper.
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Be sure to keep an eye on this situation, however, as West Ham could simply be using Martinez to force a development in the saga involving Wan-Bissaka.