West Ham ‘in talks’ for Jesse Lingard as Newcastle back away from Man Utd ace

West Ham have reportedly opened talks to sign Jesse Lingard once his Manchester United contract expires.

Lingard, 29, is up for grabs as a free agent this summer after making the decision to leave the club he joined at the age of seven. And his former loan side appear to be wasting no time in their attempts to snap him up.

According to ESPN, the Hammers made contact with his representatives after the conclusion of the Premier League season on Sunday (May 22). Negotiations between the two parties are now underway with each side confident a deal can be done.

It's claimed there is also interest from other English clubs as well as Serie A giants AC Milan and Juventus. However, Newcastle are said to have distanced themselves from Lingard.

The Magpies were after a loan move for the attacking midfielder in the January transfer window. Their attempts to sign him were rebuffed by United, who wanted to keep him for the remainder of the season.

What would you do if you were Lingard? Let us know in the comments section.

Now Newcastle chiefs are looking at other targets, giving West Ham a massive boost in their pursuit as their financial backing would have proved tricky to match.

Lingard remains one of David Moyes' top targets following his very impressive spell at the London Stadium in the second half of the 2020/21 campaign. He scored nine goals in 16 appearances to help them to a sixth-place finish.

His form earned him a recall to Gareth Southgate's England squad, but a year out in the cold at Old Trafford has seen him once again slip out of contention.

The report adds Erik ten Hag was keen to chat to all of his new United squad, but Lingard has his heart set on leaving with the hope that regular game time will get him a spot on the plane for the Qatar World Cup in November.

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