The futures of West Ham transfer targets Joshua Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo remain up in the air ahead of the January transfer window, according to The Athletic‘s David Ornstein.

The trusted journalist has confirmed that the Hammers have registered an interest in Zirkzee, while there are also doubts over whether Kobbie Mainoo will stay at Manchester United:

“First and foremost, there’s still a lot of time until the January window opens. We cannot say anything with certainty. There’s no concrete news, and nothing is set in stone.”

“I think West Ham have shown an interest in Zirkzee. Reports say Roma too in Italy, but from what I hear, that’s not necessarily the case.”

“There’s been no progress on a new contract for Kobbie Mainoo that expires in 2027. There’s an option to extend it by a year. United would need a replacement if he was to go.”

Zirkzee and Mainoo both want more game time

Neither player is believed to be happy with the amount of minutes they are currently getting at Old Trafford.

Despite starting against Everton, Zirkzee has not been used regularly by head coach Ruben Amorim, and he knows that he has to start more matches if he is to stand any chance of being named in the Netherlands squad for the World Cup.

Mainoo is in a similar position, and it is more than likely that the pair will push for loan moves away from Manchester United over the coming weeks.

West Ham need to strengthen several positions

Adding a no.9 and a centre-back is reportedly a priority for head coach Nuno Espirito Santo, but it has been suggested that another central midfielder could be brought in as well.

In addition to Zirkzee and Mainoo, Toulouse’s Charlie Cresswell, Lecce’s Tiago Gabriel, Everton’s James Garner, FC Midtjylland’s Franculino Dju, Saint-Etienne’s Lucas Stassin, and Club Brugge’s Romeo Vermant have also been mentioned as possible targets.

Read more about the West Ham First Team Squad for 2025/26 here