West Ham Seek Darren Randolph Alternative - £7m Bid for Neil Etheridge Lodged

13 January 2020 04:02

​West Ham have submitted a £7m bid for Cardiff goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, with a medical issue continuing to hold up Darren Randolph's proposed move from Middlesbrough.

The Philippines international was dropped for the south Wales derby against Swansea City on Sunday amid rumours that an exit from the Championship side could be on the cards.

Cardiff City v Barnsley - Sky Bet Championship

The Hammers are desperate to sign a new deputy to first choice goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, who hobbled off against Sheffield United just three games into his comeback after a hip problem.

Randolph has long been in West Ham's crosshairs, with 90min first telling you back in December that a move back to the London Stadium - two and a half years after he left for Teeside - was on the cards.

But a ​£4m deal agreed at the start of the month has stalled because of an issue highlighted in the Republic of Ireland international's medical. Now, Football Insider claim the east Londoners have lodged an initial £6m bid for 29-year-old Etheridge, with another million in add-ons to be paid at a later date.

Etheridge impressed for relegated ​Cardiff last season and was linked with a move back to the English top-flight during the summer, however, current boss Neil Harris has now admitted that the goalkeeper may be on his way out of the club.

"There’s been a lot of talk around Neil, not just in this window, but in the previous window as well," said Harris, as quoted by BBC Sport.

Wolverhampton Wanderers v West Ham United - Premier League

Fabianski's latest injury concern has made West Ham's attempts to sign a new goalkeeper even more important, with the Hammers keen to bring in somebody capable of slotting straight in to the starting lineup.

Previous attempts to replace the Polish keeper have backfired spectacularly, with summer signing Roberto proving a calamity between the sticks and third-choice David Martin at fault during the defeat to Sheffield United on Friday.

New manager David Moyes is looking to avoid repeating the mistakes of his predecessor and signing a goalkeeper is his number one priority, even though the club are also tracking Inter's Roberto Gagliardini and Wales international Joe Allen, currently at Stoke.

Source: 90min