West Ham 'open' to bringing 'unique' 74-goal star to London Stadium | OneFootball

West Ham target Jesse Lingard is likely to want a “lucrative contract” offer in order to rejoin the club, according to The Express journalist Ryan Taylor.

Lingard spent the second half of the 2020/21 season on loan at the London Stadium, and he could be set to return to the capital this summer.

What’s the latest news involving Lingard?

Manchester United confirmed at the start of the month that Lingard will be leaving his boyhood club when his contract expires at the end of June.

Lingard, who has scored 74 goals in his career, is now looking for a new club, and West Ham could be his next destination as he weighs up his options.

The Guardian recently reported that the Hammers are ready to listen to offers for Said Benrahma, and the same report claimed that David Moyes wants the Premier League outfit to step up their interest in Lingard.

What has Taylor said about Lingard?

Taylor has stated that West Ham want to speak to Lingard about a potential contract, and he expects the 29-year-old to be pushing for an eye-catching deal before he considers signing on the dotted line.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Taylor said: “The last I heard on Lingard was just that West Ham were open to looking at the numbers involved and what kind of contract Lingard’s obviously seeking. The fact that he’s on a free transfer, naturally him and his agent are probably bargaining for a lucrative contract.”

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Does Lingard deserve a lucrative contract at West Ham?

The 32-cap international only started two league games for United last term, and his stock appears to have fallen over the last 12 months after he was previously labelled a “unique” player by former midfielder Michael Carrick.

Moyes knows exactly what Lingard is capable of, having watched him score nine goals and provide five assists for the Irons in just 16 appearances in 2020/21. Therefore, it is no surprise that he wants the Englishman back in east London.

However, Lingard has failed to kick on since then, and he is out of the international picture at the moment.

With a World Cup on the horizon, Lingard may be better off focusing on picking a club that can offer him regular first-team football rather than who can give him the most money, if he has ambitions of getting back into Gareth Southgate’s squad.

From West Ham’s perspective, it would be a positive move for them to get Lingard back at the club after how well he settled in last time, but they should avoid breaking the bank to sign him as the attacking midfielder has not proven that he deserves such a lucrative salary over the past year.