Jean Seri has been linked with a move to West Ham.
West Ham United have reportedly entered the race to sign Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri this summer, despite huge interest from London rivals Chelsea and other European sides. But what does a potential move mean for Josh Cullen?
It is believed that the former Porto midfielder has a £35million release clause inserted into his contract, and any interested parties must meet that figure if they are to lure Seri away from Nice.
The report states that Manuel Pellegrini’s Hammers have opened talks with Nice over a move for Seri, who laid on 10 assists throughout the 2017-18 campaign for Nice, after failing to afford Javier Pastore’s huge £170,000-a-week contract.
The Hammers have been after a central midfielder for a while, missing out on Leander Dendoncker, Jonjo Shelvey and Tom Cairney back in January. At times during the 2017-18 season, West Ham had only Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate fit.
That was due to long-term injuries to Edimilson Fernandes and Pedro Obiang, which in turn saw young midfielder Cullen break into the side after being on loan at Championship outfit Bolton earlier in the season.
The 22-year-old even made his Premier League bow, albeit as a last-minute substitute against Southampton before coming off the bench against Chelsea for five minutes.
But if the Hammers do elbow the likes of Chelsea aside to land Seri’s signature, surely Cullen’s rise through the West Ham ranks will be halted immediately?
The signing of Seri should see Cullen leave on loan once again, or even on a permanent basis with his contract set to expire at the end of next season. The Hammers should weigh up whether he deserves a new deal, even if they sign Seri.
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