Morgan Whittaker wanted by Championship rivals days before season begins

West Ham United are looking to sign Middlesbrough’s Morgan Whittaker before the start of the Championship season, talkSPORT understands.

Whittaker moved to the Riverside Stadium 18 months, joining from Plymouth Argyle.

And the 25-year-old played an instrumental role as Boro secured a playoff finish.

Their promotion push initially ended at the semi-final stage after they crashed to a final-four loss to Southampton.

However, as a result of ‘Spygate’, they were reinstated at Saints’ expense, only to fall to a late 1-0 defeat to Hull City in the Championship showpiece at Wembley back in May.

Middlesbrough are keen to retain Whittaker’s services, but will struggle to convince the midfielder to remain in North Yorkshire.

That’s because West Ham are now weighing up a pursuit of the Boro star.

The Hammers are yet to make a splash in the summer market following their Premier League relegation.

Nuno’s side have cashed in on Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville, the pair joining Tottenham Hotspur and Al-Hilal, respectively.

In addition, Callum Wilson, Adama Traore and Lukasz Fabianski have all departed the London Stadium.

Bowen boost

Crucially, captain Jarrod Bowen committed his future to the capital outfit despite their drop into England’s second tier.

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Bowen was linked with a move away from the club, but opted to extend his contract until 2030.

“The main motivation for me is staying and bringing this club back into the Premier League, where we belong,” Bowen began in a lengthy video on X.

“There were always going to be rumours, there were always going to be different things going on, what’s going on, and I think for me it was only right to speak when the time’s right in circumstances like this.

“Ultimately it hurt everyone, and it should hurt everyone because it was such a disappointing thing that happened, but you can’t change it, you know, it doesn’t last forever.”

That said, talkSPORT understands that Bowen will be allowed to leave the east London side next summer should West Ham fail to secure an immediate Premier League return.