West Ham United seemed to be closing in on a deal to sign Bayern Munich right-back Noussair Mazraoui, but Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg revealed that the Moroccan had rejected a move to east London after a £16.5m fee had been agreed.
However, if Manchester United complete the deal for Mazraoui as is expected, West Ham will be free to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who is valued in excess of £15m but is surplus to requirements at Old Trafford and is in talks with the east London club.
Losing out on Mazraoui was a blow – albeit one countered well if Wan-Bissaka signs – for a club that has seen a purposeful start to the transfer window marred by a series of rejections, the latest of which has arrived in the form of AS Monaco's Youssouf Fofana, who has rejected the Hammers – who met his €35m (£29m) valuation – as he holds out for AC Milan.
Fear not, Irons. It might be frustrating to see but West Ham are definitely not lacking in ambition. Technical director Tim Steidten is working hard to add to the promising signings already made, and a shrewd Fofana alternative has been identified.
West Ham transfer news
As per Spanish outlet Sport, West Ham are interested in signing Sergi Roberto, whose contract with Barcelona expired last month.
Roberto, 32, isn't short of suitors; Barcelona have canvassed a proposal his way but this has been rejected as the Spaniard searches for pastures new.
Lopetegui's side are joined by Aston Villa and a host of European outfits in vying for a deal. Since the versatile player wishes to try his hand in the Premier League, West Ham are in a promising position.
Why Sergi Roberto could be a masterful signing
West Ham need to reinforce their engine room with one or two signings of quality. Lucas Paqueta's future is uncertain and there is a notable lack of depth.
Roberto might be getting on a bit but he's been around the block and is draped in illustrious achievements and earned 373 appearances at one of Europe's most prestigious outfits, notably winning two Champions League trophies and seven La Liga titles.
Described as "an extraordinary player to have in the squad" by former boss Xavi, his versatility would go down a treat. As you can see below, Roberto is competent across numerous roles and could be a brilliant injection of depth and experience to push West Ham back to the forefront.
Central midfield
13
3
2
Right-back
6
0
0
Defensive midfield
4
0
1
Left midfield
1
0
0
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 2% of centre-midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 5% for assists, and the top 14% for pass completion and passes attempted per 90, underscoring his potency in front of goal and his ingrained ball-playing expertise from a career with La Blaugrana.
While he's not the most commanding defensive outlet around, he played in a roaming midfield role more often than as the actual anchor in the middle of the park, which could play into West Ham's favour, with Edson Alvarez occupying the basal position in midfield.
And anyway, he still averaged 1.1 tackles per game in the Spanish top flight last year, highlighting his competence from a defensive standpoint.
As such, he could be a worthy alternative to someone like Fofana, who would cost a pretty penny at £29m. Fofana is more combative than his Spanish counterpart but also focuses on his passing game, ranking among the top 5% of midfielders for progressive passes per 90.
Make no mistake, Fofana has some eye-catching qualities and, aged 25, could be a real player for years to come, but with his sights set on Milan and West Ham "looking at other targets", according to Fabrizio Romano, Roberto could be that perfect, astute alternative.
Of course, given that Roberto was earning roughly £82k-per-week in Catalonia before his contract expired, West Ham would be required to fork out a significant sum to keep him on the books. While he might be well into his 30s, the 11-cap international would join on a Bosnan and would demand a paycheck alongside the highest-paid earners, with Paqueta, for example, taking home £150k per week.
The fact that West Ham are interested in signing Roberto despite seemingly closing on a deal to sign Wan-Bissaka suggests that Lopetegui views his countryman as a centre-midfielder, as did Xavi last season.
His range of passing and metronomic presence in the centre of the field would align with Lopetegui's vision, valuing control and initiative in possession and an aggressiveness that will mark them as an outfit that opponents do not want to play against.
Roberto embodies those traits, with former Barca boss Luis Enrique hailing his "marvellous" skillset in the past, discussing his positional pliability as a unique and impressive attribute.
Age aside, such quality might actually see him adopt the Premier League's way of life far better than Fofana, especially as the France international, for all his quality, is not the most naturally defensively sound midfielder either, winning a reddening 25% of his ground duels at Euro 2024 with Les Bleus.
Perhaps the stars will align for this one; West Ham bosses must be fed up of falling by the wayside in their pursuits for top targets to strengthen Lopetegui's accord, with Fofana indeed the latest, his eyes turned toward Serie A and Milan.
But Roberto has proven himself a valuable option for Barcelona over a career of stalwart service. Given that he would be interested in playing at the London Stadium, this might just be a deal that West Ham see over the finish line – allowing themselves to forget all about Fofana.
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