Man Utd and Spurs could ruin West Ham £45m deal for summer transfer priority

West Ham could face serious competition from Premier League rivals to complete the signing of defender Max Kilman from Wolves.

The centre-back is believed to be a summer window priority for new Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui, who has taken over from David Moyes in the London Stadium hot seat. The Spaniard worked with Kilman while at Wolves and is said to see the player as the solution to an ageing defence at the London outfit.

West Ham have already recruited promising Brazilian youngster Luis Guilherme but the 18-year-old is perhaps more of a star for the future than a player to impact the first team from the off. Kilman is a player who would do that, with the 27-year-old racking up 127 Premier League appearances since making the move from Maidenhead United in 2018.

Lopetegui's side had appeared to be frontrunners for a deal but GIVEMESPORT now reports that the Red Devils are also willing to fork out £45 million for the player with Tottenham Hotspur also named as an interested party. Kilman played every minute in Wolves' first season under Gary O'Neil last season and the club won't let their star man leave for cheap with his current contract not set to run out until 2028.

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Journalist Ben Jacobs told the outlet: "I would keep an eye on Max Kilman, who Manchester United have discussed since April. Even though the expectation is that if he departs, it could be for West Ham and a reunion with Julian Lopetegui, the number that Wolves would sell for could be too much for West Ham, because I'm told that Wolves don't want to lose their captain, but if they do, it's going to be for around £45m.

"And it may be that West Ham walk away at that kind of number, opening the door potentially for Manchester United."

West Ham have seen the veteran Angelo Ogbonna leave this summer and Nayef Aguerd is also rumoured to be a potential departure, leaving Lopetegui needing reinforcements to work with Konstantinos Mavropanos and Kurt Zouma. Meanwhile, At Tottenham Hotspur, the club has already lost Japhet Tanganga and Eric Dier, making the centre-back position a transfer priority.