West Ham United have carried out a scouting mission following an exciting young defender and could now look to pounce for his signature, according to reports.
West Ham news: Dan Rigge signs, Hammers held by Newcastle
According to Football Insider, West Ham youngster Dan Rigge has agreed a new long-term deal at the London Stadium and he is said to be highly regarded by the Hammers. The report states that Rigge received interest from several Premier League clubs before deciding to commit to new terms at West Ham and he will now look to be the latest youngster to break into the first-team set-up under David Moyes.
West Ham salvaged a late point against Newcastle United last weekend in a 2-2 draw in east London, with summer signing Mohammed Kudus notching an 89th-minute equaliser for the hosts against Eddie Howe's men.
Speaking to the Hammers' official website after the fixture, Kudus expressed his delight at being able to play a part in securing a result for his new side, stating: "It feels very good to score that goal, of course. Most importantly it made a difference for the team, which was us getting a point. Even though we wanted the three points, I was happy to score my first [Premier League] goal and it was important that we got a point out of it."
One West Ham transfer update from Spain has indicated that the Hammers are keen on bringing Real Madrid midfielder Brahim Diaz to England in the January transfer window, amid reports that he is keen to receive a regular run of first-team minutes, which have sometimes been hard to come by at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Next up for West Ham after the international break is an away trip to Aston Villa on October 22nd, as the Irons look to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to five games without defeat.
West Ham transfer news – Charlie Hughes
According to a fresh West Ham transfer update from The Sun, Wigan Athletic defender Charlie Hughes is on the radar at the London Stadium and has been placed on a list of potential targets for the Hammers after they sent scouts to watch the 19-year-old in action.
The report states that other unnamed Premier League sides are keen on Hughes, who broke through into the senior ranks at Wigan last year and he has already captained the team on a couple of occasions.
Hughes has made 36 appearances in total for Wigan across all competitions, playing predominantly in central defence and has racked up three goals and two assists in the process (Hughes' statistics – Transfermarkt)
Wigan manager Shaun Maloney reserved special praise for Hughes after the youngster signed a new contract at the Latics earlier this year, telling the club's official website: "Charlie has been a standout player for us during my time at the Football Club and we wanted to recognise his outstanding development over the last year by extending his contract by another 12 months. We hope that Charlie’s breakthrough year can be a source of inspiration for all of our younger players so that they could follow the same path with hard work."
Nevertheless, West Ham could look to pinch Hughes in the near future and there is real scope for him to develop into a star at the top level.