West Ham is now in talks to recruit skilled US national team defender Mark McKenzie for the next summer transfer window.



Just before relocating to Belgium in January 2021, 25-year-old Mark McKenzie thrived in <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/where-to-watch-mls-on-us-tv-and-internet/">MLS</a> with the Philadelphia Union. Since his arrival, he has been an anchor in Genk’s defense.



Before winning the Belgian Cup in April of that year, he played in 16 games overall in the second half of the season. Then, over the last three years with Genk, McKenzie has been a consistent player, making 117 appearances while registering five goals and four assists.



His performances in Belgium have earned him 13 appearances for the United States men’s national team. Last month, he was a member of the squad that won the CONCACAF Nations League for the third time. However, in what seems like the next chapter of his club career, he may be heading to England.



According to many Belgian publications that covered the story on Thursday, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/watch-premier-league-on-us-tv-internet/">Premier League</a> club West Ham has its eye on McKenzie. Current terms for the ex-homegrown defender of the Philadelphia Union with Genk extend until June 2025.



<h2>West Ham presents a massive jump for Mark McKenzie</h2>



Reporter Sacha Tavolieri of Belgium made the revelation that West Ham “adores” KRC Genk’s 25-year-old center defender in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=EyPd6mB3yvJ_ceKh&amp;v=UbNTKIITYv4&amp;feature=youtu.be" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Unibet Belgium YouTube video</a>. The fact that the Hammers have initiated negotiations with McKenzie’s agents shows how seriously they take the matter.



The American international will reportedly eagerly seize the chance to play in the Premier League. The 25-year-old can push himself to new limits, and this would be a huge career jump for him. Mark McKenzie may find a platform to fight for trophies at West Ham, which is presently playing in the UEFA Europa League. If the deal goes through, the defender will be looking to make an immediate impact for West Ham in the Premier League.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="670" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/04/16043633/Mark-McKenzie-tackle-1200x670-1200x670.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-499383" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></div></figure>



To have a successful next season, they will need to shore up their defense, which has been shaky thus far. It will likely be one of their main objectives to sign a top-tier center defender. They undoubtedly have the financial power to make it happen.



However, Genk is allegedly not feeling any pressure to sell McKenzie this summer, even if West Ham is quite interested. The Belgian club has a commanding position in the negotiations, so a definitive agreement is unlikely to happen very soon.



<h2>Coaching carousel may impact West Ham transfer moves</h2>



As the summer transfer window approaches, West Ham will undoubtedly make several moves. Many fans will be hoping for several upgrades to the team.



Rumors have circulated in the past linking Manchester City and Lucas Paqueta. If this were to happen, the Hammers would have to make a significant transfer. However, defensively, there will most certainly be changes as well. However, it is still not obvious <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/west-ham-stalls-on-renewing-david-moyes-contract-20240212-WST-489140.html">who will be in charge of the club next season</a>, making it more difficult to set specific goals.



PHOTOS: IMAGO.

West Ham look to USMNT star to solve defensive issues

West Ham are now in talks to recruit skilled US national team defender Mark McKenzie for the next summer transfer window.

<a href="http://www.bundesligatalk.com/borussia-monchengladbach-coming-to-america-in-july/5/6/" rel="attachment wp-att-6" title="bmg.jpg"><div><figure class="external-image"><img src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/8/files/2008/05/bmg.jpg" alt="bmg.jpg" align="right" hspace="15" vspace="15"></figure></div></a>Dülp at the German blog <a href="http://bolzplatz-blog.de" title="Bolzplatz" target="_blank">Bolzplatz</a> has an <a href="http://bolzplatz-blog.de/meine-fan-seele-auf-dem-pruefstand/" title="Meine Fan-Seele auf dem Pruefstand" target="_blank">interesting post</a> on Gladbach and the club’s recent winter acquisitions. He’s experiencing a crisis of faith in the club, seeing Meyer‘s recent moves as “Advocaat Reloaded.” In other words, Meyer’s calls for a complete rebuilding of the team and given carte blanche to do so are reminiscent of the current Zenit manager’s tenure. In November 2004 he arrived with ambitions of competing for a title and left 6 months later, having reorganized the side with nothing to show for it.
 Except for promising goalkeeper Logan Bailly, acquired from KRC Genk, Dülp is apprehensive about the other three defensive acquisitions. Dante‘s form has been inconsistent between the French and Belgian leagues, and as the author points out, the Bundesliga is a different animal entirely. Paul Stalteri, although a regular for the Canadian national team, lacked the pace and technique to cut it in the EPL. Finally Tomas Galasek, former Czech national team captain and Nuremberg player (2006-08), is, frankly, over the hill. Although Dülp’s focuses more on how his performances in the Czech league for Baník Ostrava may have inflated his perceived worth.
The rest of the post is dedicated to the increasing emotional distance he sees emerging between himself and the club. I won’t bother butchering that. If you’re truly interested, although it doesn’t look too nice translated by an algorithm, here’s a link to the <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbolzplatz-blog.de%2Fmeine-fan-seele-auf-dem-pruefstand%2F&amp;sl=de&amp;tl=en&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8" title="Google English Translation of Bolzplatz Post" target="_blank">google-fied English version</a>.

Gladbach’s Winter Acquisitions

Gladbach’s Winter Acquisitions - World Soccer Talk

Latest news from KRC Genk. Find out about all the news related to KRC Genk on worldsoccertalk.com

ALL POSTS TAGGED "KRC Genk"

News

West Ham look to USMNT star to solve defensive issues

News

Gladbach’s Winter Acquisitions