West Ham are signing Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, with the Frenchman arriving in London to undergo a doctor before a potential transfer.
Areola, who was a non-playing member of France’s 2018 World Cup winning squad, spent last season on loan at Fulham and impressed in the Premier League despite the Cottagers finishing the campaign in 18th place and dropping into the championship.
Sky Sports reports that Areola is now back in London for his West Ham medicine before a first loan deal that will include a purchase next summer.
It is believed that personal terms with the 28-year-old have already been agreed “in principle”, while PSG are happy to release him after already taking in Gianluigi Donnarumma this summer to compete with existing Keylor Navas.
? ACCENT?
G PSG goalkeeper Alphonse Areola is in London for medical treatment with West Ham.
✅ Agreement with PSG on a first loan with a call option.
✅ Personal terms have in principle been agreed.
?? PSG gladly released him after the signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma. pic.twitter.com/8wFfTiYB4s
– Football Daily (@footballdaily) July 29, 2021
In West Ham, Areola is given the task of competing with Lukasz Fabianski and may eventually prove to be a replacement for the 36-year-old Polish international. Darren Randolph and David Martin are the other goalkeepers currently in Hammer’s first team.
Areola was born and raised in Paris and joined PSG’s youth ranks at the age of 12 and recently spent time at the esteemed French Academy in Clairefontaine to promote its development. He made his first team debut for Les Parisiens in 2013 at the age of 20, but spent the following three seasons on loan at Lens, Bastia and Villarreal and gained invaluable experience as a start.
The goalkeeper returned to PSG and shared the responsibility with Kevin Trapp during the 2016/17 season before establishing himself as the number one following campaign. But the arrival of Gianluigi Buffon and sharing details limited him to only 21 Ligue 1 appearances in 2018/19.
Areola played for Real Madrid during the 2019/20 season / Quality Sport Images / Getty Images
Areola joined Real Madrid on loan for the 2019/20 season as part of the deal where Keylor Navas moved to PSG and made nine appearances in total as an understudy for Thibaut Courtois.
A loan to Fulham was completed in September 2020 and he played all but two of the Cottages’ 38 Premier League matches and ended the season as the club’s player for the season, which the fans voted for.
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