West Ham hold talks over signing Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters

Kyle Walker-Peters is wanted by new West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui - Getty Images/Matt Watson

West Ham have held talks over signing Southampton full-back Kyle Walker-Peters in a deal that would see Flynn Downes move in the opposite direction on a permanent transfer.

Downes, 25, was at St Mary’s last season on a year-long loan and helped Russell Martin’s team get promoted from the Championship through the play-offs, with the club wanting him to stay long-term after his successful campaign.

He has been discussed as a permanent switch after West Ham approached Southampton over a move for full-back Walker-Peters, the 27-year-old who is on new manager Julen Lopetegui’s wanted list as he shapes his squad for the campaign.

Flynn Downes' loan at Southampton could be made permanent - PA/Adam Davy

Walker-Peters, who is twice capped for England, can play comfortably on both flanks and would add competition in the full-back areas for Lopetegui. Last season under David Moyes it was Vladimir Coufal and Emerson Palmieri who mostly played in the full-back positions, with Walker-Peters seen as a player who could push for a starting place.

He has one season left on his contract with Southampton, who would likely also pay a fee for Downes if Walker-Peters were to move to West Ham. The deals, however, may be structured separately.

Walker-Peters has been at St Mary’s for four full seasons, having initially joined on a six-month loan from Tottenham in 2020. It was while at the club that he won his England honours, with Gareth Southgate playing him at right-back but highlighting his versatility.

After relegation from the Premier League a year ago he stayed with Southampton and played 43 matches in the Championship last season including the play-off final win over Leeds United at Wembley.

Lopetegui has also targeted Wolves centre-back Max Kilman to bolster his back line but there has been no agreement over a fee for the 27-year-old he worked with at Molineux.

Meanwhile, Birmingham have agreed a deal for Alex Pritchard to join Turkish club Sivasspor. The 31-year-old followed Tony Mowbray to St Andrew’s during the January window but has been allowed to join the Super Lig club following relegation to League One.

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