West Ham are in talks with Kyle Walker-Peters after he pulled out of a move to Besiktas at the last minute, talkSPORT understands.
Walker-Peters had been booked in to undergo a medical in Istanbul.
As previously reported, West Ham owner David Sullivan is a big fan of the free agent former Southampton defender.
Besiktas, managed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, had previously announced that a deal was in place to sign Walker-Peters who departed St Mary’s last month.
The Turkish giants have since claimed the 28-year-old asked to delay travelling to Istanbul to undergo a medical.
In a statement released on Thursday, the club said they had decided to withdraw their interest despite having an agreement in principle with the defender.
“It is publicly known that the arrival of professional football player Kyle Walker-Peters, with whom we previously announced an agreement in principle and invited him to Istanbul for a medical examination, has been postponed,” Besiktas said.
“Today, Kyle Walker-Peters notified us, requesting an extension. Consequently, our club has withdrawn its transfer. Our club continues its transfer efforts in accordance with its established policy. We respectfully inform the public.”
Walker-Peters broke into the professional ranks with Tottenham and made his debut under Mauricio Pochettino at the start of the 2017/18 season.
He made a loan switch to Southampton in January 2020 before making the move permanent the following summer in a £12million switch.
The versatile full-back went on to clock up 202 appearances for Southampton, featuring under five managers – Ralph Hassenhuttl, Nathan Jones, Ruben Selles, Russell Martin and Ivan Juric.
Walker-Peters will now reassess his options as he plots his next move.
Meanwhile, it appears that Tammy Abraham will be the sole English representative at Besiktas this season.
The England international secured a season-long loan switch to Besiktas from Roma this summer after spending half of last season on loan at AC Milan.
It follows the recent departure of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who this week saw his contract terminated by the Turkish club.
The ex-Liverpool star spent two years in Istanbul but struggled to make the desired impact following a succession of injuries.
Oxlade-Chamberlain netted five goals in 50 appearances, helping the Black Eagles claim Turkish Cup success in 2024.
Solskjaer led Besiktas to a fourth-place finish in the Turkish Super Lig last term and a spot in the Europa League qualifiers.
The Norwegian will be expected to steer his side closer to runaway leaders Galatasaray and Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce next season.
However, breaking the mould will have its challenges due to the financial discrepancies between Besiktas and the other two Istanbul giants.
Galatasaray, who are hopeful of tying up a deal for Victor Osimhen, boast an embarrassment of riches on and off the field while Fenerbahce have lured a high-profile striker of their own in ex-Aston Villa star Jhon Duran.
The Turkish Super Lig gets underway again on August 10.