West Ham are in talks with Chelsea over a late loan deal for Fikayo Tomori after it became clear that Antonio Rudiger would not be leaving in this transfer window, while Jack Wilshere is close to exiting the club.
The Hammers have been keen on adding a central defender for the entire summer, but had considered pursuing targets in the Championship after they failed to reach an agreement with Burnley for James Tarkowski.
They will free up further funds for wages after negotiating an end to Wilshere's time at the club.
He is set to become a free agent after an injury-plagued two-year spell at West Ham that included only 19 first-team appearances.
Meanwhile, Tomori has made only one substitute outing in the Premier League for Chelsea so far this term, though he did start in both Carabao Cup wins over Barnsley and Tottenham.
The former Derby County loanee has been pushed further down Frank Lampard's defensive pecking order by the summer arrival of Thiago Silva from Paris Saint-Germain, while Rudiger - who hasn't played at all this term amid plenty of exit speculation - remaining at the club makes his path to more regular opportunities very crowded.
Tottenham had been interested in a deal for Rudiger, who has also been linked with the likes of AC Milan and PSG.
