Sources: Major update on West Ham bid to sign Tarkowski after offer

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Published on:

12 Jun 2021, 6:50 am

West Ham have registered their interest in signing Burnley defender James Tarkowski this summer, Football Insider has been told.

This site revealed on 26th March that the Irons have made the capture of a top-level centre-back a priority this summer.

A West Ham source has told Football Insider that the club have a concrete interest in Tarkowski and are ready to pursue a deal.

But they have other targets at centre-back and are not willing to pay over the odds for the England international.

West Ham submitted a series of bids for Tarkowski, 28, rising up to £30million last summer.

But Burnley knocked them back as well as an offer of more than £30m from Leicester City.

The Londoners are still in pursuit but believe it will be far cheaper to sign Tarkowski this summer, given he is entering the final 12 months of his contract.

Tarkowski opened the door to quitting Burnley last November when he told the Telegraph that he will not sign a contract extension after rejecting multiple offers from the club.

That has put Moyes on fresh alert and he is attracted to Tarkowski's extensive Premier League experience.

The 2016 signing from Brentford has made 182 Burnley appearance, including 36 league starts in the recently-completed season.

Angelo Ogbonna and Craig Dawson ended the season as the first choice centre-back pair at West Ham, with Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena the senior back-ups.

But Ogbonna is 33 and is out of contract in the summer of 2022, while Balbeuna has left the club after his deal expired.

In other news, multiple new arrivals expected at West Ham after GSB give Moyes the green light.

West Ham United