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West Ham are expected to ramp up their pursuit of Celtic midfielder Arne Engels, according to a trusted insider source.

Writing on The West Ham Way Patreon, ExWHUEmployee revealed that the Hammers have the Belgian international firmly in their sights.

Engels is believed to have been identified as a top target by new Director of Player Recruitment Nils Koppen.

The 41-year-old has first-hand knowledge of the player, having previously been the sporting director of Celtic’s Glasgow rivals Rangers.

Engels would replace Fernandes

Engels is usually deployed as a no.6 or no.8, so it’s likely that Koppen has earmarked him as the ideal replacement for Mateus Fernandes, who was sold to Tottenham for £85m earlier this month.

During his two seasons with Celtic, the 22-year-old has scored 17 goals and provided 21 assists in all competitions.

Engels has won two Scottish Premiership titles, a Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup during his time in Glasgow. He has also made 12 Champions League appearances.

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West Ham will have to stump up a sizeable sum

Celtic are not prepared to let Engels leave on the cheap. They reportedly rejected a £25m bid from Nottingham Forest for the player during the January transfer window.

It means that the Irons would probably have to exceed that figure if they want to secure the Belgian’s services, and they will also be hoping that other suitors such as Forest, Sunderland and Fulham don’t get involved.

Personal terms are unlikely to be an issue, but it is not known how willing the player would be to move from a team who have Champions League football to one plying their trade in England’s second tier.

What seems clear, though, is that Koppen will be ambitious with his recruitment strategy this summer despite West Ham’s relegation from the Premier League.

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