West Ham have made an improved offer of £40m for the Wolves defender Maximilian Kilman. Julen Lopetegui is prioritising the signing of a centre-back and has made Kilman his top target. It is thought West Ham’s latest bid will convince Wolves to sell their captain.
West Ham had a bid of £25m rejected for the Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo this week and Lopetegui has decided to return to Kilman.
Sources at the London Stadium have denied reports the club are in talks over loaning Lucas Paquetá to Flamengo. West Ham want a striker, a midfielder and a winger, and have held talks with Southampton over signing Kyle Walker-Peters. The full-back could be part of a deal that takes Flynn Downes to Southampton.
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David Raya has signed a long-term deal with Arsenal, understood to run to 2028, after making his move from Brentford permanent. The Spain goalkeeper enjoyed a successful first season in north London that culminated in winning the Premier League golden glove award, after he ousted Aaron Ramsdale as Mikel Arteta’s first choice.
The 28-year-old, part of the Spain squad that has reached the quarter-finals at Euro 2024, joined last summer on an initial loan that included an option for Arsenal to make the deal permanent for almost £30m. Blackburn, who sold Raya to Brentford in 2019, are due a cut, expected to be about £3m.
“David showed us last season what an important player he is for us, so we are delighted he is now officially our player,” Arteta said.
“He is a big presence in our dressing room and we are really pleased to keep working with him. We know he will take the strong foundations he put in place last season and build on them in the years to come, and that he will enjoy more success with us.”
Raya said: “I’m excited to see what the future holds but always living in and enjoying the present. It’s a dream come true to be here and I want to thank you for all the support you have already given me throughout the last year.”
Arsenal are considering a move for the Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori but are likely to face competition from Juventus after the 22-year-old’s impressive displays at Euro 2024. Bologna are understood to value Calafiori, who scored an own goal in the group-stage loss to Spain but set up Mattia Zaccagni’s stoppage-time equaliser against Croatia, at about £45m after he helped them qualify for next season’s Champions League.
He is also capable of playing at left-back and has been tipped to follow the manager Thiago Motta in leaving Bologna for Juve this summer. “There is talk of Juventus but also of many other teams,” said Bologna’s technical director, Giovanni Sartori, on Thursday. “At this moment we will try to keep him. If important offers were to arrive, we will have to think about it.”
