West Ham eye transfer raid for 7-goal Celtic ace | OneFootball

Arne Engels is one of several midfield targets believed to be on the Hammers' radar

West Ham United have immediately become favourites for promotion from the Championship back to the Premier League prior to the release of the second tier's 46-game schedule, albeit there is still plenty of uncertainty surrounding the East London outfit at present.

The Hammers had become part of the furniture in the Premier League following their last promotion from the Championship in May 2012, which came after their dramatic 2-1 win over Blackpool in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium.

Since then, the club have switched from the traditional and hostile venue of Upton Park to their current E20 home, which has come in for major criticism in relation to the atmosphere generated, even though it boasted the second-largest average attendance during the Irons' relegation campaign under Graham Potter and Nuno Espírito Santo.

The London Stadium has also allowed revenue streams to significantly improve at the club, even though their ownership situation at present is far from settled, with Karren Brady's departure recently backed up by the resignation of joint-chairman, David Sullivan, amid allegations away from football.

As such, current stakeholder and Czech billionaire, Daniel Křetínský, is reportedly looking to complete a majority takeover of the club with their upcoming pre-season looming large.

The summer transfer window for Championship clubs also officially opens next Monday, and, rather unsurprisingly, West Ham have already generated plenty of transfer discourse, largely on the outgoings front.

However, whilst that is still very much the case, the club have reportedly set their sights on a handful of targets, which includes some from north of the border.

West Ham United plot ambitious transfer move for Celtic midfield ace Arne Engels after EFL Championship relegation

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Indeed, a detailed report from club-themed publication, The West Ham Way, has provided some form of reported clarification on where the East London club stands regarding potential incomings amid an expected mass exodus of high-profile names and top earners, with claims emerging that £100m, at a minimum figure, must be raised to balance the books.

With Portuguese international, Mateus Fernandes, already generating strong interest from the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and UEFA Champions League winners, Paris Saint-Germain, the focus has already switched to who could fill such a void in Nuno's lineup.

The aforementioned publication have reaffirmed claims that former Leicester City loan ace, Jordan James, is available for an 'affordable' fee amid interest from newly-relegated counterparts, Wolverhampton Wanderers, while the chances of signing Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough are limited amid strong links to Everton in particular.

However, it has been stated that one name firmly on the Irons' radar is Celtic's Belgian midfielder, Arne Engels, who netted seven goals across all competitions last season as the Hoops enjoyed a remarkable finish to their domestic campaign.

Despite Martin O'Neill taking interim charge at Parkhead on two occasions following the exits of Brendan Rodgers and Wilfried Nancy, they were able to pip Hearts to the Scottish Premiership title in a final day 'decider', which the 22-year-old scored in, before he also netted in the Scottish Cup final triumph over Dunfermline Athletic at Hampden Park.

Engels has been with the Glaswegian outfit for two seasons now, signing from Bundesliga side, FC Augsburg on a four-year contract in the summer of 2024.

West Ham would make a real statement with the potential signing of Arne Engels

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It does remain to be seen if a move to the Championship would appease a player of Engels' quality, even if West Ham are expected to win promotion at the very first attempt.

Celtic, of course, have another season of European football on the table, and the four-time Belgian international has already been the subject of intense transfer interest in 2026, which his parent employers swiftly turned down.

Indeed, Nuno's former side, Nottingham Forest, failed on three counts to lure the all-action midfielder to the City Ground, with the highest of those bids coming in at a minimum of £20m, with £5m in further add-ons.

If the Bhoys' stance had not changed in terms of a price point, that means the Hammers would be investing a Championship-record fee into Engels' services, with Ipswich Town holding the current record after parting with £17.5m last summer to sign Norwegian prospect, Sindre Walle Egeli, on a long-term contract.