Everton, Burnley ‘interested’ in move for free agent Jesse Lingard; West Ham remain favourites
Everton and Burnley are both interested in signing free agent Jesse Lingard but West Ham remains his most likely destination, according to reports.
The 30-year-old has been out of contract since the end of last season, following a disappointing season-long spell with Nottingham Forest.
Lingard has been training with West Ham for the last few weeks. David Moyes is yet to offer him a contract, however, so he is still a free agent as it stands.
Lingard has already played for West Ham once, having spent the second half of the 2020-21 season on loan at the London Stadium.
He put in some excellent performances under Moyes, scoring nine goals and making five assists in 16 games, helping the London club qualify for the Europa League.
The Hammers attempted to sign Lingard permanently that summer, but he chose to remain at Man Utd.
Moyes’ team were once again linked with the 30-year-old when his contract with the Red Devils came to an end last summer. Lingard ultimately opted to reject their advances and sign for Forest instead.
West Ham now have the chance to sign him again and may yet offer him a deal, but Everton and Burnley want to scupper their plans.
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Everton, Burnley ‘interested’ in Lingard
According to 90Min, Everton and Burnley have both ‘shown an interest’ in signing Lingard.
The Toffees have brought in five new players this summer (including three loans) but their squad is still lacking creativity. On his day, Lingard can contribute that in abundance, so it’s no surprise that Sean Dyche is keen on him.
As for Burnley, they need all the Premier League experience they can get if they are to avoid relegation this term. Lingard has years of PL experience under his belt and has won four major trophies during his career, so could be a smart addition for the Clarets.
The report claims that Lingard has interest from abroad, too. He has allegedly ‘received offers’ from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and MLS.
However, 90Min state that if the former Man Utd man opts to remain in England, it will be West Ham that he joins, not Everton or Burnley. That is assuming, of course, that the Hammers do offer him a deal.
With that in mind, West Ham remain the favourites to sign Lingard, despite there being plenty of competition from other clubs.
