West Ham United are reportedly keen on Stoke City’s Joe Allen.
According to The Express, new West Ham United boss David Moyes is keen to make Stoke City midfielder Joe Allen his first signing.
It’s claimed that Moyes is prioritising his midfield, and a £12million move for Allen is therefore on his radar once again.
This isn’t the first time West Ham or Moyes have pursued a move for Allen, as the Hammers made a £25million move for the Welshman in January 2018; Moyes’ only transfer window as Hammers boss in his first stint.
That’s according to West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan, who was quoted by Football.London as saying that a move for Allen failed as Stoke wouldn’t sell whilst they were battling relegation.
Allen stayed with Stoke despite them dropping to the Championship, but with the Potters still strugging in the second tier, a return to the Premier League may be appealing.
West Ham may now be able to land Allen for half of what they offered two years ago, despite his deal with Stoke only expiring in 2022.
The Potters need to trim their wage bill, and selling Allen would certainly help them do that, with West Ham in desperate need of another midfielder.
Mark Noble and Declan Rice need help in the middle, and Allen can provide that – though fans would be forgiven for wanting somebody with a little more legs than 29-year-old Allen.
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