West Ham United are confident of tying up a deal to snap up Ruben Loftus-Cheek on loan from Chelsea before Monday’s transfer deadline, according to The Mirror.
While the Hammers were unwilling to pay the £11 million loan fee required to bring in Ross Barkley on a short-term deal from Stamford Bridge, with the England international joining Aston Villa instead, another highly rated midfielder could make the short trip across London.
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard admitted Loftus-Cheek could be allowed to leave on loan during the next few days after the 24-year-old was left out of the Carabao Cup loss to Tottenham Hotspur (Guardian).
David Moyes is desperate to inject some youth into an ageing squad and, according to The Mirror, West Ham are confident Loftus-Cheek will arrive before the window shuts.
A 6ft 3in powerhouse whose velvet touch and gliding movement belies his rangy frame, Loftus-Cheek is in dire need of regular first-team football.
After a series of injuries restricted him to just seven Premier League appearances last season, the ten-time England international has fallen behind Mason Mount and Kai Havertz in Chelsea’s pecking order, while Hakim Ziyech has yet to come into Lampard’s thinking.
Loftus-Cheek showcased his vast potential during a similar loan spell at Crystal Palace in 2017/18 and West Ham will hope one of the most naturally gifted footballers in English football can stay clear of injuries at the London Stadium.
It remains to be seen whether Moyes plans to use ‘RLC’ as a box-to-box midfielder alongside Tomas Soucek or a youthful alternative to Mark Noble in a deeper role.
“An unstoppable force,” former England ace Owen Hargreaves told BT Sport after Loftus-Cheek’s Europa League hat-trick against BATE Borisov in 2018.
“He has everything.”
West Ham’s record transfers
- Sebastien Haller
£45 million
- Felipe Anderson
£41.5 million
- Marko Arnautovic
£25 million
- Pablo Fornals
£24 million
- Issa Diop
£22 million