West Ham may have to pay £45m to sign Wolves captain Max Kilman | OneFootball

West Ham United may have to pay up to £45 million to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Max Kilman this summer.

The 27-year-old has emerged as a priority target for manager Julen Lopetegui, who is keen to reunite with the Englishman at the London Stadium.

However, it wouldn’t be straightforward for the Hammers, given that Kilman is considered a crucial player at Wolves.

The Telegraph reports that West Ham have launched a £25m bid to sign Kilman, but we’ll have to significantly improve our proposal to complete a deal.

Kilman has plenty of suitors across the continent, and Wolves had previously turned down a £30m bid from Serie A giants Napoli, so they’re unlikely to entertain our lowball offer.

The Englishman is valued at £27m on Transfermarkt, but after his impressive performances during the 2023/24 season, it might take nearly double that valuation to convince Wolves to sell him.

The Wanderers are under no immediate pressure to sell Kilman this summer. He has four years left on his contract, so Wolves are in a solid negotiating position.

Considering the player is still attracting interest from several clubs, it is in our best interest to find common ground with Wolves sooner rather than later.

West Ham must push harder to sign Kilman

It’s no surprise that Lopetegui wants to raid his former club for reinforcement, but Kilman could be a game-changer for us if we lure him to London Stadium this summer.

Kilman is considered a vital cog in Wolves’ defence and featured in every Premier League game for Gary O’Neil’s side last season.

He kept five clean sheets, won 55% of his ground duels and was nearly unbeatable in the air, winning 71% of his aerial contests.

Kilman would undoubtedly be an upgrade on Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma, who are facing uncertain futures at the London Stadium.

So far, there’s no indication that we’ll return to Wolves with an improved bid, but we’d be silly not to push harder to sign Kilman.

Stats from Sofascore.com