West Ham have “expressed an interest” in signing Chelsea fullback Ian Maatsen, according to The Athletic.

The Hammers have reportedly made an enquiry about the Netherlands Under 21 international in recent weeks, but they are just one of five teams keen on securing his services.

Nottingham Forest, Portuguese champions Benfica and Bundesliga side Wolfsburg are also in the running but it is believed that Burnley are the current favourites to snap up Maatsen.

The Dutchman spent last season on loan at Turf Moor and Chelsea are willing to let him leave on a temporary basis once again this summer, with the Lancashire club having returned to the top flight.

There is still a chance, though, that Maatsen could be sold but his price tag is said to be £20m and it remains to be seen whether West Ham would be prepared to pay that much for him.

A replacement for Aaron Cresswell

The interest in Maatsen follows on from reports that Wolves have entered talks to sign Aaron Cresswell. The 33-year-old extended his contract to stay with the Irons for another season not that long ago, but it seems the London club are willing to sell the defender for £5m.

If they add those funds to the coffers, which have already been filled by the £100m received for Declan Rice, it should give manager David Moyes and sporting director Tim Steidten even greater flexibility in the transfer market.

Maatsen would certainly be a very decent replacement for Cresswell. He had an outstanding campaign in the Championship with Burnley, scoring four goals and contributing six assists in 39 appearances.

What other targets are West Ham looking at?

With the club needing to replace their captain as well, the main focus of the club’s recruitment remains on signing a central midfielder.

After having a £45m bid rejected by Fulham for Joao Palhinha, it is believed that the Hammers may turn their attention to Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana instead. From the looks of things, the club are now finally moving forward with plans to sign some new players.