West Ham could lose Mohammed Kudus this summer amid strong interest in the Ghanaian’s services, and a possible replacement has now been identified by club officials at the London Stadium.
Recently, West Ham turned down a £50m offer from Chelsea for Kudus, while Tottenham are also said to be lining up a move for the 24-year-old, who had a disappointing 2024-25 season with five goals and four assists across all competitions.
It’s expected that Kudus will be allowed to leave West Ham if their valuation is met, and in preparation for this, replacements are being considered.
West Ham line up Omari Hutchinson as Kudus replacement
And one of those is Ipswich’s Omari Hutchinson, as former scout Mick Brown has told Football Insider.
“West Ham have been having a look at Omari Hutchinson. Scouts were watching him for the England U21s, and I hear they were impressed by what they saw. That tournament has done him a few favours because it’s sparked more interest in his situation when it looked to have died down a bit.
“He’s certainly a talented player and he’s got a bit of something about him. In my opinion, he’s still a bit raw and need to become more consistent to really do it at the top level. But West Ham will know the positives and negatives and then they’ll come to a conclusion about whether he’s the right man for them.
“If they’re going to lose Kudus, and it looks like they might, they will need to replace him. Hutchinson is seen as the ideal fit for that role. He’s got this release clause in his Ipswich contract, and if West Ham make a significant chunk of money from the Kudus deal, they can use that to bring him in.”
Hutchinson is likely to be keen to remain in the Premier League following Ipswich’s relegation, and a move to West Ham would allow this to happen. It remains to be seen whether their interest is stepped up in the coming weeks.