West Ham's £40m deal for Wolves captain Max Kilman accepted

West Ham is about to complete the signing of Wolves captain Max Kilman for a fee of £40 million. The new manager, Julen Lopetegui, is looking to bring in players from his former club.

Lopetegui has been focusing on signing Kilman this summer and a better offer for the defender was approved by Wolves on Thursday afternoon.

The 27-year-old was getting a physical examination at West Ham's practice facility on Thursday evening and is anticipated to agree to a contract of long duration at the London Stadium.

Lopetegui chose Kilman as the captain of Wolves while he was managing the team during the 2022-23 season. He also selected Kilman as one of the top choices for the club this summer, shortly after he was hired as the manager.

Kilman played in every game for Gary O’Neil last year and has been a part of the England squad on and off in the past few years.

Last year, Wolves turned down a £30 million offer from Napoli in Serie A and convinced the defender to sign a new contract with them. They also refused offers from West Ham and Newcastle United this summer.

The Wolves were reluctant to part with Kilman, but they understand that making a significant sale this summer will give O’Neil more flexibility in the transfer market.

The situation is made more complex by the fact that when he was sold in 2018 for only £40,000, non-league Maidenhead included a significant sell-on clause of 10 percent.

Lopetegui has made his top signing a priority, showing his belief that there are no boundaries to what West Ham can accomplish this season.

"We won't set any boundaries," he stated on Monday. "Our main goal right now is the first match. We are determined to win, eager to work hard in this environment, and ready to fight for the club."

Our initial game will be a big challenge as we face Aston Villa. We understand that the beginning of the season will be tough, but that's just the nature of the Premier League.

I believe we have a strong foundation in terms of our squad, team, and players to take the next big step and make a significant impact. This is our goal and what we aspire to achieve.

"There are many factors that make me excited to join West Ham, so I am thrilled to be a part of the team."