Breaking: West Ham United want cash now as Rangers transfer update emerges on Ben Johnson

If Ben Johnson leaves West Ham this month, they intend to make a transfer fee for the Rangers target, according to the Daily Mail.

On January 15, Simon Jones revealed in the paper’s Transfer Confidential column that Sheffield United is one of the teams Sheffield Blues are keeping an eye on in the Hammers full-back position.

West Ham needs the money to let the 23-year-old to go during the January transfer window, but he hasn’t accepted an extension of his contract at the London Stadium, which expires in the summer.

It could be a difficult pursuit if the top-tier Blades are also involved because a reduced fee in the English Premier League and a reduced charge in most other divisions, including the SPFL, are two distinct things.

Rangers’ interest in Johnson may be concentrated on the left-back position, despite the fact that James Tavernier has once more been connected to a move to Saudi Arabia.The 23-year-old former England under-21 international may be the captain’s long-term backup, but with Borna Barisic and Ridvan Yilmaz’s futures both looking questionable, it is more important to address the opposite side of the back line.

That being said, it would be surprising to see money spent on another acquisition that meets those similar requirements, given that Dujon Sterling was already signed in the summer for essentially the same reason—as a potential Tavernier replacement and emergency left-wing cover. In other Rangers news, negotiations have begun to bring in a new defender.