West Ham have agreed on a loan deal to sign Carlos Soler from Paris Saint Germain according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. The Spanish midfielder will link up with the Hammers for a season-long loan deal to cover for James Ward-Prowse, who is set to join Nottingham Forest.
West Ham Closing in on Loan Deal for Carlos Soler
Hammers Add Experienced Soler to Midfield Options
Soler is currently travelling to London for his medical and will join on loan, with an option to buy next summer. It is thought that this buy option clause will be around £17 million, and Romano has given his “Here We Go”. This signing represents a major coup for West Ham as they bolster their midfield with a player with vast European experience.
The 27-year-old started his career at Valencia before moving to Paris in 2022. He excelled in Spain, including netting a hat-trick against Real Madrid, but has struggled for game time at PSG. The Spaniard started just 12 league matches for PSG last season.
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Soler is also capped 14 times by Spain but has not featured since 2022. The Hammers will look to rotate him with Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta as their more creative midfield options. Soler suits this role well thanks to his goalscoring ability and tendency to play high up the pitch.
He was a member of Spain’s 2022 World Cup squad and also scored at that tournament. He has been lauded for his “vision and exquisite passing” and manager Luis Enrique hailed him as “a great link-up player”.
This loan signing also opens the door for Ward-Prowse to leave the London Stadium as he lines up a loan move to Nottingham Forest. The English midfielder never found his best form for West Ham, having joined for £30 million last summer.
Soler Bookends Busy Window for West Ham
Soler is set to be West Ham’s ninth summer signing as they enter a new era under Julen Lopetegui. The Hammers have already spent large sums on Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, Luis Guilherme and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
This underlines the London-based club’s ambition to regularly challenge for European places. The Hammers have finished in the top ten in four of the last five seasons, including winning the Europa Conference League last year.
Soler will add European experience to the squad, including Champions League experience with PSG. Whilst he will take time to get used to the Premier League, this signing shows Lopetegui’s long-term thinking.
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Lopetegui now has a blend of Premier League-proven players and those with European pedigree in his squad. West Ham’s transfer strategy has evidently kept this in mind as Soler joins Fullkrug as a former Champions League player.
Soler is unlikely to be available for West Ham’s match against Manchester City this weekend. However, he should join the team after the international break. The Hammers face trips to Fulham and Liverpool before Soler could potentially make his home debut against Chelsea.
