West Ham owner holds talks with Julen Lopetegui in search of David Moyes' successor

Julen Lopetegui has met with West Ham owner David Sullivan, talkSPORT understands.

Former Wolves manager Lopetegui is one of the favorites to replace David Moyes at the London Stadium when his the contract ends at the end of the season.

Lopetegui, who also managed Spain, has been out of work since leaving Wolves last summer.

Meanwhile, Sporting Lisbon coach Rubén Amorim flew to the UK on Monday for face-to-face talks with the Hammers.

The Portuguese were linked to the Liverpool job but is no longer considered in the framework to replace Jurgen Klopp.

Lille coach Paulo Fonseca is another candidate to take charge at the London Stadium after having held talks with Sullivan in 2018.

The club is yet to make a final decision on its next manager, as is Lopetegui, who has also held talks with AC Milan over replacing Stefano Pioli.

The Spaniard managed 23 games as Wolves manager, winning nine, drawing four and losing ten, while leading the Midlands side to a comfortable 13th place finish last season.

However, tensions increased between Lopetegui and the club, who informed him that they did not have the financial resources to fulfill their great ambitions.

A mutual split came three days before the start of the Premier League season and just nine months into his three-year contract.

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West Ham are yet to announce Moyes' imminent departure, however it is increasingly likely that the Scot will leave at the end of the season.

Last weekend's 5-2 loss in crystal Palace which followed their elimination from the Europa League at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen, appear to have added weight to the claim.

Moyes has been in charge of West Ham since 2019 and led the club to their first trophy since 1980, when they lifted the Europa Conference League last June.

However, his style of play has often divided opinion, leaving sections of the club's fans dissatisfied.