West Ham transfer target Joel Matip has a contract “offer” on the table from the Hammers but he is also being courted by three other top-flight teams, according to CaughtOffside.com.
The website claims that the Hammers are willing to hand the former Liverpool defender a two-year deal. However, he has received interest from the likes of Fulham, Bournemouth and Leicester City as well.
Matip has yet to make a final decision on which club he wants to join but the fact that West Ham have given a trial to ex-Sheffield United player John Egan suggests that they are not the frontrunners for the free agent.
It was initially reported by trusted insider ExWHUEmployee that Matip was the preferred candidate as the Irons look to strengthen their options in the centre of defence. From the looks of things, though, Egan appears to be the favourite now.
Matip’s injury record is a concern
The 33-year-old sustained an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury in December last year, and it isn’t the first time that the centre-half has had a long spell out due to fitness problems.
Matip was sidelined for 91 days with a hamstring issue in 2018, for another 80 days in 2019 with a knee injury, and he then spent 154 days on the treatment table in 2021 with an ankle problem.
West Ham can’t guarantee the defender first-team football
Another important factor to take into consideration is the player’s desire to play on a regular basis. It’s likely that he would only be fourth choice centre-back if he makes the switch to the London Stadium.
Bournemouth, Leicester and Fulham may be able to offer more guarantees about game time and that may lead Matip to ultimately reject the proposal from the Hammers. His future is expected to be resolved over the coming days.
