Former Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui was seen flying to London on Monday night, after being linked with becoming the next West Ham United manager.
While travelling from Madrid to London Heathrow on Monday 22 April, FourFourTwo spotted Lopetegui on the same evening flight. This comes after The Telegraph reported that the Spaniard is a "serious contender" to replace David Moyes at the London Stadium in the summer.
While Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim is described as the leading target, the report suggests that his £12.8m release clause is deemed too high by the hierarchy at West Ham, causing them to look at other names.
And Lopetegui seems a preferred option, with negotiations likely to take place today (Tuesday) over potentially succeeding David Moyes. With Moyes' contract up in the summer, and the Scotsman coming under increasing pressure from certain sections of the fanbase, it looks like West Ham have started sounding out potential replacements.
Lopetegui has been out of work since departing Wolves a few days prior to the 2023/24 Premier League season kicking off, over concerns with the club's financial restrictions. Though he led them to 13th last season, after being bottom of the table at Christmas, the Spaniard didn't receive the assurances he wanted over signing players.
While the 57-year-old lasted only a few months in charge of Real Madrid in 2018, he managed to get his reputation back on track with Europa League success in 2019/20 with Sevilla. This European experience could prove vital to West Ham, too, after the Hammers' recent Europa Conference League triumph.
West Ham are currently 8th in the Premier League, meaning Lopetegui could work his magic once again in continental competition if they manage to qualify. Recent form suggests Chelsea and Brighton could both overtake them, though, with a 2-0 home defeat to Fulham followed up by a 5-2 away loss at Crystal Palace.
Plus, they crashed out of the Europa League last Thursday, after losing 3-1 on aggregate to Bayer Leverkusen - though that's no humiliation, considering the German side's incredible form this season.
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