Update emerges on West Ham’s transfer interest in Huddersfield Town star amid Leeds and Wolves interest | OneFootball

Premier League side West Ham United are only monitoring Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien from a distance at this stage despite their reported interest, as per reporter Dean Jones who spoke to Give Me Sport.

The 23-year-old has been the subject of widespread interest from the English top tier in recent months, with Leeds United the side thought to have been most interested in recruiting him back in the summer, launching multiple bids for his services.

Crystal Palace were also reported to be in the race for his signature during that window, but a move to Elland Road and Selhurst Park failed to materialise for the midfielder who has been one of the Terriers’ most influential players again this term.

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Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley, Norwich City and Town’s Championship rivals AFC Bournemouth have joined the race since, with West Ham’s interest first reported by TEAMtalk earlier this month.

This interest comes despite O’Brien signing fresh terms in September to extend his stay at the John Smith’s Stadium until the summer of 2025, meaning the Hammers may need to launch a substantial bid if they want to have any chance of luring him to the London Stadium in the summer.

Registering 32 league appearances for Carlos Corberan’s men this season, he has been crucial in elevating the West Yorkshire outfit from relegation danger to promotion contention – but his time at the second-tier side may be coming to an end judging by journalist Jones’ comments regarding interest in his signature.

He said to Give Me Sport: “Other Premier League clubs are interested.

“I know West Ham are also starting to look at him right now, only a watching brief at this stage, but more and more clubs are being alerted to the fact that he can handle so many different kinds of situations.”

The Verdict:

In fairness, this latest transfer news is no real surprise because they may as well just monitor the midfielder between now and the end of this term to decipher whether he’s the right person to recruit or not.

This signing could be particularly important with the 23-year-old potentially coming in as a replacement for England midfielder Declan Rice, who will continue to be the subject of interest from elsewhere based on his performances in recent seasons.

However, he may be a real asset to David Moyes’ side regardless of Rice’s future with the Hammers having European aspirations and their Europa League campaign this term will reinforce the need to have as much depth as possible.

And it’s no real surprise to learn of O’Brien’s interest from West Ham considering they have also been monitoring other stars in the EFL in recent months including QPR’s Rob Dickie and Middlesbrough’s Dael Fry.

They may need to move quickly in the summer if they want to secure his services though, because based on recent performances, there will certainly be a queue of clubs wanting to make a concrete move for him.