West Ham join race for Chelsea misfit to replace star in his prime, as battle with Euro giants unfolds

Despite missing out on the signing of Ian Maatsen, West Ham are interested in talking to Chelsea again about Trevoh Chalobah, a report has claimed.

Maatsen was linked with West Ham around Christmas, but ever since the January transfer window opened, Borussia Dortmund have become the most likely takers of the left-back.

Dortmund are expected to put Maatsen through a medical on Wednesday ahead of a loan move for the rest of the season.

It means West Ham can cross that idea off their list – at least for the time being, since Maatsen will be available via a release clause in the summer – but the chances of them doing business with Chelsea are not over.

Indeed, talkSPORT has added the Hammers into contention for the signing of Chalobah from the Blues.

TEAMtalk has already been explaining how Chelsea have made Chalobah available for a move, halfway through a season in which he has been unable to play due to injury.

Despite his lack of availability in recent months, we have learned that Chalobah has attracted a range of admirers, such as Roma, Crystal Palace and Bayern Munich.

talkSPORT echoes the fact that Bayern are interested in reuniting Chalobah with Thomas Tuchel, the man who gave him his Premier League and Champions League debuts with Chelsea.

But the radio station also claims West Ham have started monitoring Chalobah’s situation as they wonder about reinforcing their own defence.

Regular West Ham starter at risk amid Chalobah interest

David Moyes has already let Thilo Kehrer leave on loan for Monaco this month. There have also been rumours that West Ham could sell Nayef Aguerd.

The 27-year-old is usually a starter for West Ham, but instead of spending the rest of his prime years at the London Stadium, there is a risk that Aguerd could move to the Saudi Pro League.

West Ham would only allow that to happen if they had a replacement lined up, so they are now considering some centre-back targets of their own.

Chalobah could now be in contention for a move across London, from the west with Chelsea to the east with West Ham.

talkSPORT does not imply a move is imminent at all, merely that Chalobah is someone West Ham are looking at.

Another target they could consider from within the Premier League is Wolves captain, Max Kilman.

There is still plenty of time remaining in the January transfer window for West Ham to firm up their decision.

But they could even do with replacing Aguerd now, since he is currently unavailable while he is representing Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations.

While Chalobah would have to return to match-fitness before becoming a fully reliable replacement, he has been back training at Chelsea’s Cobham facilities recently and is almost ready to play again, so the timing could be ideal.

How did Chalobah and Aguerd compare last season?

Last season, Chalobah played 33 times across all competitions for Chelsea, while Aguerd made 30 appearances in his debut West Ham campaign.

Chalobah started 18 Premier League games, one more than Aguerd managed under Moyes.

In the league, the Chelsea man completed 31 tackles, made 24 interceptions, 55 clearances, 18 blocks and completed 1011 passes.

In contrast, Aguerd’s numbers included 27 tackles, 18 interceptions, 78 clearances, 27 blocks and 599 passes.

It is fair to say that neither of their clubs enjoyed the kind of season they would have wanted domestically, although the high note for West Ham came in the Europa Conference League, which they won.

Due to their respective form in the Premier League, though, their defenders were kept busy in many matches.

Chalobah and Aguerd were similar in some aspects, but the Chelsea product was probably better on the ball (which is not a surprise, since he has spent some time playing in midfield earlier in his career).

Three years younger than Aguerd, he might be the kind of profile West Ham turn to for the long term, in which they could even implement a more progressive system.

But for now, he is still just an option West Ham are considering rather than actively bidding for.

Chalobah remains under contract with Chelsea until 2028, but we have discovered he would be available for around £25m.

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