West Ham See Loan Bid Rejected for Slavia Prague's Vladimír Coufal
By Tom Gott
Exclusive - West Ham United have seen a loan bid for Slavia Prague right-back Vladimír Coufal rejected.
The Hammers lost Ryan Fredericks to a hamstring injury during Sunday's 4-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, and given he is not expected to return until after the international break, manager David Moyes is eager to advance plans to find a new right-back.
Moyes has been looking for a new addition for the last few months after losing both Jeremy Ngakia and Pablo Zabaleta at the end of last season, and sources have confirmed to 90min that Coufal is among the candidates to fill the void.
However, West Ham have seen their initial attempt to sign the Czech international knocked back.
Slavia wanted West Ham to agree to an obligation to buy at the end of the season providing they avoid relegation, similar to the deal which took Tomáš Souček to the London Stadium in January, but the Hammers were not prepared to agree to such terms.
The club are now considering whether to return with a fresh offer, but they do have alternative options - one player on the radar is Rangers' James Tavernier.
Tavernier has forged a reputation as one of the most attack-minded full-backs around. He has already managed a stunning tally of six goals and four assists in just 11 appearances this season, helping Rangers on a nine-game unbeaten run to start the new season.
Moyes is keen to add someone with Tavernier's profile but will only pull the trigger on a move if the deal is right for the club. He is also looking for a new centre-back and hopes to save money to address that.
Attempts to sign Saint-Étienne's Wesley Fofana and Burnley's James Tarkowski have both been unsuccessful, and reports elsewhere have suggested the Hammers have now turned to Swansea City's Joe Rodon, Arsenal's Calum Chambers or Juventus' Daniele Rugani.