West Ham have talked to the father of Fenerbahce left back Hasan Ali Kaldirim about a possible move to the Premier League, according to Yahoo Sports.
They say Celtic and Besiktas have also been linked with Kaldirim in recent months and could also rival the Hammers for the 27 year old’s signature. Kaldirim has 18 caps for Turkey and is a regular starter for Fenerbahce with 26 matches played already this season.
The Turkish club are said to be reluctant for the player to leave for city rivals Besiktas and would much prefer the full back to move abroad. Kaldirim was born in Germany so qualifies as an EU national, and would not require a work permit to play in the UK.
Whether Yahoo’s report is accurate is questionable though. West Ham boss Slaven Bilic was explicit earlier in the January transfer window that he wasn’t interested in Patrice Evra as he has adequate cover on the left side of defence. The Hammers are in much greater need of a right back but the club don’t seem to be close to making a signing in that position this month.
