West Ham launch new midfielder move after £150m transfer windfall | OneFootball

Hammers stepping up business after big-money sales of Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville

West Ham have enquired over a potential deal for Celtic midfielder Arne Engels.

Standard Sport understands that West Ham hold an interest in Engels but talks are not yet advanced.

Engels has interest from a number of Premier League clubs and Nottingham Forest saw multiple bids for his services rejected by Celtic in January.

Forest have been in pursuit of Lucas Bergvall this summer and seen offers rebuffed by Tottenham.

West Ham are in the market for a new midfielder following the £85million departure of Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham earlier this month.

Mexico international Edson Alvarez is also the subject of interest from clubs across Europe, with Ajax and Real Sociedad both reportedly enquiring about the terms of a possible deal.

Engels made 46 appearances across all competitions for Celtic last season, scoring seven goals and providing eight assists as Martin O’Neill’s side won the Scottish Premiership title on the final day following a dramatic decider against Hearts.

The 22-year-old came through Club Brugge’s youth academy before moving to Bundesliga side Augsburg.

While at Augsburg, he made his senior Belgium debut in September 2024 during a 3-1 win over Israel in the UEFA Nations League.

Engels has four caps for his country but has not been called up since November 2024.

West Ham have made close to £150m in player sales since relegation to the Championship on the final day of last season after selling Fernandes to Spurs and Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville to Saudi outfit Al-Hilal.

Despite raising significant funds, the Hammers have made just one signing so far this summer, activating their £1m option to make Venezuelan winger Keiber Lamadrid’s loan move from Deportivo La Guaira permanent.