Evan Ferguson set for West Ham; Crystal Palace to loan Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell

West Ham have agreed to sign Evan Ferguson on loan from Brighton until the end of the season. The striker is set to undergo a medical before moving to the London Stadium for a reunion with Graham Potter, who gave the 20-year-old his professional debut.

Ferguson played for Potter at Brighton and will provide a boost to the new West Ham manager’s attacking options, while also having the opportunity to play regularly. West Ham have been in the market for a new forward after losing Michail Antonio and Niclas Füllkrug to injury.

West Ham have been assessing various options and faced strong competition for Ferguson, who has just returned from an ankle injury. Bayer Leverkusen wanted the Republic of Ireland international, who has scored once this season, and there has been interest from Arsenal, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Everton and Tottenham.

The club are targeting Lorient’s Eli Junior Kroupi, an 18-year-old who is also on Bournemouth’s radar after shining in Ligue 2 this season, as well as Celtic’s Daniel Cummings and the Liverpool midfielder Tyler Morton.

Celtic are unhappy about the prospect of losing Cummings and it is unclear if the 18-year-old will join before the transfer window shuts on Monday night. If a deal cannot be agreed before the deadline then it is understood that Cummings will sign a pre-contract with West Ham for the summer, with compensation due to Celtic.

Crystal Palace have agreed a six-month loan for left wing-back Ben Chilwell after reaching an agreement with Chelsea over his salary. The 28-year-old England international, who has been frozen out of Enzo Maresca’s plans and has made only one appearance this season, will provide competition to Tyrick Mitchell. Earlier in the transfer window Chelsea recalled fellow defender Trevoh Chalobah from his loan at Selhurst Park.

Oliver Glasner’s side are also in the market for a central defender and have been linked to Union Berlin’s Danilho Doekhi, Tiago Djaló of Juventus and Milan’s Strahinja Pavlovic.

Brighton have had two bids for Sunderland’s teenage winger, Tommy Watson, rejected. The first offer was £8m and the second was £12m. Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are understood to have also shown an interest in Watson, who is a product of the club’s academy.

Tommy Watson (left) has attracted Premier League interest with three clubs in the market for him. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

Fabian Hürzeler’s side are expected to return with an improved bid to test Sunderland’s resolve to keep a player with two goals in 10 Championship appearances so far this season. The promotion chasing club have made it clear they will consider selling him only if they can bring in reinforcements.

“If Tommy did leave, we have to replace him,” said the head coach, Régis Le Bris. “We need two wingers on each flank, this is a better balance. Enzo [Le Fée] can play here, but only because we don’t have others available at the moment.”

In addition to Ferguson’s expected departure, Tariq Lamptey could be allowed to leave Brighton this month, with Ajax interested in a permanent deal for the Ghana defender.

Burnley are set to complete the loan signing of Marcus Edwards from Sporting after the forward was convinced to join the Championship side by their manager, Scott Parker. Sunderland and Nottingham Forest are also believed to have been interested in Edwards, who was at Tottenham’s academy when Parker was a Spurs player.

It is understood that the 26-year-old’s loan will cost £800,000, with Burnley having an obligation to make the move permanent in the summer for £10m. Edwards moved to Portugal in 2019 after making only one appearance for Spurs.