West Ham in 'shocking talks' to sign Joel Matip as a free agent
West Ham letting players like Thilo Kehrer, Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna leave the club before the start of the season.
Despite bringing in Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo as replacements, the Londoners are still searching the market for free agents and talkSPORT has reported that the Hammers are in 'deep talks' to sign Joel Matip.
The center is a free agent after leaving Liverpool when his contract expired in June and he is still without an employer after failing to secure a transfer over the summer.
At his peak, Matip was a fabulous central defender and was a key player Jurgen KloppThe configuration of 's that won the Premier League and Champions League among other national awards, as well as two second places in the European Cup and the top flight of English football.
Julen Lopetegui could do with some experienced options in a relatively young backline and with that in mind, Matip has been identified as a potential target ahead of the Premier League's registration deadline of September 13.
Matip would be useful but Hummels should be the priority
Joel Matip, 33, is two years younger than Mats Hummels, another player who is reportedly on West Ham's radar as a possible free transfer.
It goes without saying that the former Liverpool centre-back would be a good signing for Lopetegui, but it is debatable whether he would bring more utility to the Hammers compared to Hummels.
While Hummels guided Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League runners-up spot with an outstanding performance in the semi-finals, Matip's involvement in his final season at Liverpool was limited to a meager 14 appearances in all competitions.
On top of that, the former Premier League star's fitness record isn't great either, having suffered his fair share of injury problems since his days as a Schalke player.
It remains to be seen who Julen Lopetegui prefers from a tactical point of view, although as things stand, the door at the London Stadium is not closed to Matip or Hummels.
