West Ham United are close to agreeing a deal to bring Emerson Palmieri to the London Stadium this summer.

What's the latest?

That's according to ExWHUemployee, with the club insider revealing in a recent post on The West Ham Way that, despite having an initial £13m bid for the left-back rejected by Chelsea, David Moyes' side remain in talks with the Blues over a deal for the 28-year-old, with an agreement now thought to be close between the two clubs.

In his post, Ex said: "I am told that whilst the initial offer for the Italian international Emerson was turned down, we are still in talks with Chelsea and that an agreement is said to be close to happening."

Moyes should be buzzing

With it being well known that one of West Ham's priorities over the remainder of the summer transfer window was the addition of a new left-back, Ex's claim that a deal to bring Emerson to the London Stadium is now close should have left Moyes buzzing.

While it is true that the 28-year-old's £20m move to Chelsea has not exactly worked out as planned - with the Italy international having featured just 71 times for the club over his four-and-a-half year spell at Stamford Bridge - the full-back nevertheless proved just how astute a signing he would be for the Hammers while on loan at Olympique Lyonnais last season.

Indeed, based on his 2849 minutes played in domestic leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days, FBref rank the £12.6m-rated defender in the top 8% of full-backs for passes attempted per 90, as well as the top 11% for passes completed, the top 21% for progressive carries, the top 29% for dribbles completed and the top 30% for shot-creating actions.

As such, it is clear to see that the £75k-per-week talent is extremely effective in a creative capacity, a trait that is known to be something Moyes is looking for in the signing of a new left-back this summer.

Furthermore, FBref also rank the 27-cap international in the top 36% of full-backs for shots per 90 over the past 12 months, in addition to the top 42% for non-penalty xG, the top 35% for xG assisted - xG that follows a pass which assists a shot - and the top 36% for touches in the opposition penalty area - metrics that prove his efficiency when presented with chances of his own in the final third.

So, it would appear as if the 28-year-old defender is very much a perfect fit for the type of left-back Moyes was hoping to add to his options at West Ham this summer, leading us to believe that Ex's claim that - following the club's prospective £10.1m signing of Thilo Kehrer - the Hammers are close to agreeing a deal for the defender as their seventh summer signing is sure to have left the 59-year-old buzzing.