West Ham could sign late £9m Aaron Cresswell upgrade

West Ham United are still active in the transfer market with just over 24 hours left before the transfer window closes until the turn of the year, and now a fresh update has emerged on a potential target who could make a last-minute move to East London.

Who do West Ham want to sign before the deadline?

According to The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, West Ham are “exploring” a deal to sign Juventus star Filip Kostic.

McGrath revealed on Twitter this afternoon:

“Everton are exploring deal for West Ham forward Maxwel Cornet. #WHUFC working on Filip Kostic deal for similar position, allowing Ivory Coast international to be loaned to #EFC @TeleFootball”

Read the latest West Ham transfer news HERE…

It was noted by Calciomercato earlier today that the Serie A giants are demanding €10m (£9m) up front to part ways with the versatile ace, a fee that should not be difficult for West Ham to meet due to their financial strength.

A further report from the same publication today suggests the Irons are leading the race to secure his signing.

How good is Filip Kostic?

There is no doubt that David Moyes is clearly keen to add even more reinforcements to his squad as the club looks to comfortably compete in the Premier League and in the Europa League, following the success in the Conference League last season.

The Hammers have welcomed Mohammed Kudus, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse over the last month, however, the number of key players who have left the London club this summer will still be a concern in terms of quality depth moving forward.

As a result, the signing of Kostic could be a great piece of business that will not only deliver Moyes a player who can play a number of positions effectively but even provide an upgrade on his current options on the left flank and a huge upgrade on Aaron Cresswell.

The Serbian ace has the experience of playing along the entirety of the left side of the pitch, comfortable in scoring goals, delivering creativity and getting stuck in defensively whilst being deployed on the left wing, in left midfield or in a left wing-back role – all of which he presents himself in as a strong and dominant attacking threat.

When comparing Kostic’s output with Cresswell’s last season, the 30-year-old comfortably outperformed his position competitor in a number of desirable attributes including goal contributions (11 v 1), shot-creating actions per 90 (3.21 v 2.94), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.41 v 0.04), percentage of dribblers tackled (44.7% v 38.7%) and successful take-ons (43.6% v 28.6%), as per FBref.

The Juventus sensation has been the recipient of high praise over his career, with former Frankfurt coach Oliver Glasner waxing lyrical about Kostic:

“Filip has the outstanding ability to see the free man in the middle under the highest pressure. And the technical quality to find him.”

With that being said, Kostic is definitely one to watch for West Ham over the dying hours of the summer transfer window, as his versatility in positioning and direct goal threat could make him a desirable asset to Moyes over the season ahead.