West Ham United agreed to sign 24-year-old Barcelona utility man in January

West Ham United will reportedly look to sign 24-year-old Spanish defender Oscar Mingueza from Celta Vigo in January.

According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Oscar Mingueza is the subject of interest from West Ham United. The Hammers are in the market for a right-back heading into the January transfer window. And they have set their sights on the 24-year-old former Barcelona utility man.

Oscar Mingueza has been a regular for Celta Vigo since arriving from Barcelona last year. A graduate of Barcelona’s fabled La Masia division, the Spanish defender was a utility man for the Blaugrana after graduating from the academy due to his ability to play across the backline.

However, Mingueza’s time with Barcelona came to an end last year as they let his contract to expire in June 2022. After that, the 24-year-old signed with Celta Vigo and has been a consistent member of the Galician team ever since. Additionally, he has had a strong start to the 2023–24 season, with one goal and two assists in his first 14 games.

Mingueza’s development at Celta Vigo has drawn attention from a Premier League team among others. During the January transfer window, West Ham United will try to sign the 24-year-old former Barcelona utility player.

West Ham United can use Mingueza one of two ways if he arrives at the London Stadium. The Spaniard’s ability to play as a right-back can make him an alternative to Vladimir Coufal in the right-back berth. But more importantly, he can be an alternative to Kurt Zouma and Thilo Kehrer in the central defensive unit.

Furthermore, West Ham may need a new center-back since Zouma and Nayef Aguerd’s futures at the London Stadium are questionable coming into the January transfer window. The 24-year-old former Barcelona utility may be open to trying a new experience in the Premier League in the interim, according to the report.

The Hammers are preparing for the January transfer window; they have recently made Albert Gudmundsson a target. In the upcoming weeks, it will be interesting to see how the connections with Oscar Mingueza develop.