West Ham showing “concrete interest” in Wolves defender Max Kilman

West Ham United are keen to add quality and depth to their backline this summer and have turned their attention to Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Max Kilman.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Hammers are showing “concrete interest” in the 27-year-old and have initiated contact to sign the defender.

The Wolves skipper is seen as the ideal option to bolster the defence, having previously played under Julen Lopetegui at Molineux Stadium.

The Spanish manager is eager to reunite with the English centre-back at the London Stadium this summer, and West Ham are pushing to complete a deal.

Lopetegui rates Kilman highly, but it would be challenging to lure him away from the Midlands, considering he is also a key player for Wolves and their captain.

However, an offer of around £45 million could be enough to tempt the Wanderers to sell.

West Ham are in dire need of defensive reinforcement

Reinforcing the backline is a priority for Lopetegui and technical director Tim Steidten and Kilman’s Premier League experience makes him a dream target.

Angelo Ogbonna left the club after his contract expired, while both Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd are facing uncertain futures at the London Stadium.

We need to move both players on this summer, but we can’t afford to sanction such a clear-out without landing potential replacements first.

Several players have been linked with a move to West Ham in recent weeks, but Kilman would be a major coup if we can pull off a deal.

The Englishman was a mainstay in Wolves’ defence last season, featuring in all 38 Premier League games for the Wanderers.

He kept five clean sheets, won 55% of his ground duels and was nearly unbeatable in the air, winning 71% of his aerial contests.

Kilman would be a superb signing for us, but we’ll need to cough up a significant sum to complete a deal.

Stats from Sofascore.com