West Ham move for Leicester City player on hold after Tuesday development | OneFootball

Abdul Fatawu is one of the latest names linked with a move to the London Stadium

West Ham United and Leicester City have made plenty of headlines in English football in recent months, albeit not much of the news coming out of the London Stadium and King Power Stadium has been positive.

The Hammers are now back in the Championship for the first time since the 2011/12 campaign after their relegation from the Premier League under the management of Nuno Espírito Santo.

Despite the fact the Portuguese head coach was able to oversee a relative upsurge in results in the early months of 2026, he was still unable to fully repair the damage which had been done in the early weeks of his tenure and beforehand under current Sweden boss, Graham Potter.

That said, the East London outfit, who have now been made aware of their 46-game schedule for the upcoming 2026/27 season are already being made many people's pre-season favourites for the second tier title, with the 52-year-old boasting prior experience of doing exactly that.

Leicester, meanwhile, have seen their fall from grace be even more well-documented under the now controversial ownership of King Power, as just 10 years on from their 5000-1 Premier League title triumph, the King Power Stadium will play host to League One football for just the second time in club history after back-to-back relegations.

The East Midlands outfit's second drop from the Championship into the third tier also occurred amid a six-point deduction for previously breaching the EFL's PSR regulations, and now several high-profile names are expected to depart in what is a critical summer window for the newly-appointed Russell Martin.

West Ham, of course, are in somewhat of a similar situation, but are looking to take advantage of Leicester's uncertainty themselves.

When Abdul Fatawu could seal Leicester City, West Ham transfer agreement

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Indeed, Leicester were relegated to League One with what was ESTIMATED to have been the Championship's highest wage bill at a cost of £800,000 per week, and while 10 players were released on free transfers - including Jordan Ayew and Patson Daka - there is a clear expectancy that Abdul Fatawu will also not be part of Martin's rebuild in League One.

The 22-year-old lit up the Championship during City's 2023/24 title-winning term under Enzo Maresca, and was then signed for approximately £14m following their return to the Premier League.

Yet, ever since the club's return to the EFL and throughout a drastic 12-month fall into League One, Fatawu has been the subject of intense transfer interest from the likes of Everton and Sunderland.

It has now been claimed by the Evening Standard that West Ham, who reportedly need to generate £100m in player sales - and would likely be able to do so through the high-profile exits of Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville - are eyeing a potential 'cut-price' deal for the 30-time Black Stars international, who impressed in a substitute cameo against England at the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Boston Stadium in midweek - a result which would effectively help them progress into the round of 32, at worst, as one of the eight-best third-placed teams in the expanded

While the Hammers have confidence that a deal could be struck, the Leicester Mercury have now stated that no negotiations will take place until the man who posted nine goals and eight assists for Leicester in 2025/26 sees his tournament come to an end, and when that may be is now uncertain, albeit in a good way for the player.

West Ham's transfer plans are already hinging on major World Cup developments

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Given the stature of their own squad at this moment in time, a lot of West Ham's current transfer plans are hinging on developments at the World Cup, particularly surrounding Summerville, who has netted twice in three games for the Netherlands thus far.

The Irons have also been linked with Watford ace, Nestory Irankunda, who scored a remarkable solo goal in Australia's 2-0 success over Türkiye in Vancouver on June 14th, while fellow talking points have also been generated over the future of club captain, Jarrod Bowen.

According to recent updates, the 29-year-old, who primarily operates on the same flank as Fatawu, is now leaning towards a stay at the London Stadium amid interest from the likes of Aston Villa and Everton.

There is still plenty of time left to go in the summer window, which means all the aforementioned developments are certain to take place as things stand, while Fatawu will not be short of suitors given Leicester's need to generate funds as well as his current ability and future potential.