KEY POINTS

  • Jesse Lingard made his senior debut in the 2014-15 season
  • He recently parted ways with his boyhood club Man Utd
  • Lingard started only two league games last season

Jesse Lingard, who has been released from Manchester United this summer, is reportedly in talks with West Ham.

Lingard is close to making a decision on his future, while West Ham are hopeful of reaching an agreement with Lingard, who has demanded weekly wages of around $216,000, The Guardian reported. West Ham's reluctance to accept Lingard's personal demands has allowed other clubs to remain in the race to sign the English winger.

Nottingham Forest, the newly promoted club to the Premier League, are also interested in landing Lingard, who became a free agent on June 1 after he did not renew his contract at Manchester United.

The likes of Newcastle United and Everton have also been chasing Lingard, whose representatives have bagged a breakthrough in his contract talks with West Ham, according to 90Min.

Manchester United had loaned Lingard off to West Ham in the second half of the 2020-21 campaign. The 29-year-old forward revived his career at the London Stadium as he netted nine goals and provided five assists in 16 Premier League appearances. He helped West Ham finish sixth in the league table that saw David Moyes' side bag a place in the next season's Europa League.

In the 2021-22 campaign, Lingard remained at Manchester United and spent most of the time on the bench or on the sidelines. Out of their 38 Premier League games, Lingard featured in 16, starting in only two. Overall, Lingard scored twice and made one assist in 27 competitive appearances for Manchester United last term.

Lingard's career kept going downward under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or successor Ralf Rangnick. He was even denied the opportunity to leave the Old Trafford side in January though the player wanted to do so.

Jesse Lingard
Jesse Lingard of Manchester United in action during the UEFA Champions League group F match between Manchester United and BSC Young Boys at Old Trafford on December 8, 2021 in Manchester, United Kingdom. Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images

Following Lingard's small yet successful stint at West Ham in 2020-21, the London Stadium's boss, David Moyes, wanted to sign the English winger permanently. Signing Lingard has reportedly been Moyes' top priority throughout the ongoing summer window.

Lingard, who made his senior debut with Manchester United in the 2014-15 season, has so far netted 56 goals in 298 competitive matches.