West Ham close to €12m deal that opens the door for Moyes to sign long-term target

Robin Bairner

• 4 Jan 2024 03:44 CST
• 5 min read

West Ham are close to completing their first piece of business in the January transfer window, with Thilo Kehrer set to finalise his move to Ligue 1 club Monaco.

Although the Germany international defender is only set to move back to France on loan, the deal comes with an obligation to buy worth €11.5 million, which will come into force in the summer.

When a €500k loan fee is added to that figure, it means that West Ham will not make any loss on the versatile 27-year-old defender, who arrived in London from PSG in 2022 for €12m.

Sky Sports Deutschland reports that Kehrer is expected to travel to Monaco on Thursday to finalise the move, which has “easily achievable parameters” for the obligation to buy.

The transfer process has moved quickly, with initial contacts between the clubs having only been made this week.

Kehrer out, Kilman in at West Ham?

West Ham could use Kehrer’s exit as the leverage they need to complete a deal for Wolves captain Max Kilman, who has been a player of interest to manager David Moyes on a long-term basis.

Prising the 26-year-old away from Molineaux promises to be a difficult task, however.

Kilman signed a new five-year deal with Wolves in the summer after an offer worth in the region of €35m was rejected from Serie A champions Napoli.

While Wolves might hope for a greater fee for the centre-back, who arrived on a free transfer in 2018 from Maidenhead, their financial position remains precarious, and they could be tempted into a deal given that they are under strict financial restrictions due to the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.

West Ham refused to spend above Kilman’s market value in the summer after receiving close to €120m from Arsenal for Declan Rice, but with the imminent departure of Kehrer, Moyes may finally be able to talk the board into moving for a player he has long admired.