West Ham have held talks with Manchester United this week as they kick into transfer overdrive, according to a club insider.
Ex-WHU Employee, who is an excellent source of Hammers news, has claimed in a column for the West Ham Way site that the Londoners have an interest in signing back-up United keeper Sam Johnstone.
He also has named left-back Luke Shaw as a target who is “likely to be available” as well as first-team forward pair Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial on possible loan deals.
OPINION
On the face of it, the capture of goalkeeper Johnstone is more likely than big-earning trio Shaw, Martial and Rashford. Certainly, there would be intense interest in the latter two if they were made available for loan, although it would be bizarre in the extreme were Jose Mourinho willing to offload United-reared Rashford for a season given his immense talent and proven matchwinning skill. West Ham are in need of a new keeper given the doubts about Adrian and Joe Hart’s return to Manchester City following his mixed loan campaign. Johnstone has spent the last 18 months on loan at Aston Villa and was a key player in the side that fell at the last hurdle in their bid to secure promotion from the Championship at the end of last month. Aged 25, he is unlikely to make it any time soon at United, where David de Gea is not only the established number one but arguably the finest keeper on the planet. West Ham could do far worse than land the former England Under-20 ace.
