West Ham leading race for Barcelona defender absent from training

Barcelona are seeking to tie up several exits before the end of the transfer window in order to ease their registration issues this summer, with Gerard Martin, Roony Bardghji and Wojciech Szczesny all unavailable currently. One of the players on their way out is full-back Hector Fort.

The 18-year-old right-back, who has also performed on the left side, has seen his role reduced to an afterthought under Hansi Flick after a promising breakout campaign under Xavi Hernandez. Eric Garcia is now the de facto alternative to Jules Kounde ahead of him.

West Ham United leading race for Fort

After making a move for Marc Casado, West Ham United have now put their cards on the table for Fort. Sport say that Fort is open to the move, and a potential wage rise, albeit he would only want to move on loan. He has made it a condition for any move that the deal is a simple loan without an option or obligation to buy. The teenager still wants to succeed at Barcelona, and his plan is to continue his development to return next summer.