Evan Ferguson set for West Ham loan, Brighton target Sunderland’s Watson

West Ham have agreed to sign Evan Ferguson on loan from Brighton until the end of the season. The striker is set to undergo a medical before moving to the London Stadium for a reunion with Graham Potter, who gave the 20-year-old his professional debut.

Ferguson played for Potter at Brighton and will boost the new West Ham manager’s attacking options, while also having the opportunity to play regularly again. West Ham have been in the market for a new forward after losing both Michail Antonio and Niclas Füllkrug to injuries.

West Ham have been assessing various options and have faced strong competition for Ferguson, who has just returned from an ankle injury. Bayer Leverkusen wanted the Republic of Ireland international, who has scored once this season, and there has been interest from Arsenal, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Everton and Tottenham.

The club are targeting Lorient’s Eli Junior Kroupi, an 18-year-old who is also on Bournemouth’s radar after shining in Ligue 2 this season, as well as Celtic’s Daniel Cummings and the Liverpool midfielder Tyler Morton.

Celtic are unhappy about the prospect of losing Cummings and it is unclear if the 18-year-old will join before the transfer window shuts on Monday night. If a deal cannot be agreed before the deadline then it is understood that Cummings will sign a pre-contract with West Ham for the summer, with compensation due to Celtic.

Brighton have had an opening £8m bid for Sunderland’s teenage winger, Tommy Watson, rejected but the Black Cats are expecting more offers before Monday’s transfer deadline. Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are both understood to have also shown an interest in Watson, who is a product of the club’s academy.

View image in fullscreen Tommy Watson (left) has attracted Premier League interest with three clubs in the market for him. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

Fabian Hürzeler’s side are expected to return with an improved bid before Monday’s deadline to test Sunderland’s resolve to keep a player with two goals in 10 Championship appearances so far this season. The promotion chasing club have made it clear they will only consider selling him if they can bring in reinforcements.

“If Tommy did leave, we have to replace him,” said the head coach, Régis Le Bris. “We need two wingers on each flank, this is a better balance. Enzo [Le Fée] can play here, but only because we don’t have others available at the moment.”

In addition to Ferguson’s expected departure, Tariq Lamptey could also be allowed to leave Brighton this month, with Ajax interested in a permanent deal for the Ghana defender.

Palace have held talks over a potential loan move for Ben Chilwell but would need to come to an agreement with Chelsea over how much of his salary they would pay. The England defender has been frozen out of Enzo Maresca’s plans and has made only one appearance this season.

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Oliver Glasner’s side are also in the market for a central defender before the deadline and have been linked to Union Berlin’s Danilho Doekhi, Tiago Djaló of Juventus and Milan’s Strahinja Pavlovic.

Chelsea are in talks with Borussia Dortmund as the Bundesliga club aim to secure Carney Chukwuemeka on loan. Dortmund are long-term admirers of Chukwuemeka, who joined Chelsea from Aston Villa for £20m in the summer of 2022, and are pushing to seal a deal that would take the 21-year-old to Germany for the rest of the season.

It is not clear whether the Bundesliga side will look to include an option or obligation to buy a player who is looking to kickstart his career after a frustrating 18 months. Juventus and Porto have also made inquiries about Chukwuemeka and there has been interest from Everton and West Ham.

Cesare Casadei has joined Torino in a permanent deal worth €15m (£12.5m), signing a contract until June 2029. The midfielder, who arrived from Inter in 2022, made 17 first-team appearances for Chelsea and had loan spells at Reading and Leicester.

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