West Ham United could bring Josh Cullen back to the London Stadium with Premier League rivals Leeds United, Wolves and Southampton also eyeing the Republic of Ireland international, according to TEAMtalk.
It is less than two years since West Ham accepted a £500,000 bid from Anderlecht for one of their most talented academy graduates of recent times.
And, in truth, it was a bit of a surprise to see Cullen go in the summer of 2020.
The hard-running midfielder shone during a loan spell at Charlton Athletic, after all, seemingly paving the way for a first-team breakthrough at his parent club.
And David Moyes, during his first spell in the Hammers hotseat, had spoken in glowing terms about a man who played through the pain barrier during an FA Cup clash with Shrewsbury Town in 2018.
“Josh was probably our best player today,” Moyes told The Sun after Cullen trudged on against the Shrews despite losing a number of teeth in a nasty collision.
Is Josh Cullen returning to West Ham United?
Cullen started alongside fellow teenager Declan Rice on that January day in Shropshire. Four years on, could a pair of West Ham academy graduates be reunited in the English capital?
TEAMtalk believe that the high-flying Hammers have been keeping close tabs on Cullen’s development. He’s going from strength to strength under Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht.
There’s room for a new midfielder at the London Stadium too. Captain Mark Noble will retire in a matter of weeks.
The report adds that Wolves, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Burnley, Leeds and Norwich are also keen. As are Championship promotion-pushers Fulham and Sheffield United.
Cullen, a technically-gifted but tenacious central midfield player, has been compared to Leeds legend Billy Bremner by former Ireland boss Mick McCarthy in the past.
He is a long-term transfer target for the Whites too. Cullen first registered on Leeds’ radar a couple of years ago.
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Should he finally seal a move to Elland Road this summer, Cullen could potentially form a new-look central midfield alongside Brenden Aaronson, Flynn Downes or James Garner under Jesse Marsch.
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