West Ham United can have an opportunity to sign Rav van den Berg in January if his situation at 1. FC Köln doesn’t improve in the coming months.
The centre-back and his brother, Sepp van den Berg, came up through the ranks of PEC Zwolle.
Sepp left them for Liverpool in 2019 and four years later, the West Ham target joined Middlesbrough. They sold him to the Bundesliga side for a reported fee of €13m last summer.
Van den Berg suffered a shoulder injury in September 2025 and that kept him out of action for two months. He finished his debut season with 1,132 minutes from 14 matches for the German club.
West Ham interest in defender
His performances weren’t convincing and he hasn’t made an appearance for 1. FC Köln since April.
However, that doesn’t stop West Ham United from looking at Rav van den Berg for the winter market.
That’s according to Express.de, who states the Championship side are making a strong push to sign the 22-year-old.
There’s also a suggestion of Nuno Espírito Santo willing to invest around €15m in the next window. Express.de have doubts about it, considering the drop in the Dutchman’s value from €8m to €7m, as per Transfermarkt.
Club’s stance favours West Ham
The Bundesliga side wanted to send him on loan in the summer, but he wasn’t in favour of this. That’s according to Bild, who states Rav van den Berg was keen on fighting for a place this season.
This hasn’t worked out well as he hasn’t made an appearance since April. 1. FC Köln manager René Wagner has publicly asked the Dutchman to improve his game.
“It’s about training performances and things we observe every day. Rav knows what he needs to work on. Ultimately, it’s professional sport; we have to select the best possible squad,” he said.
The outlet describes his problems as follows: ‘He’s too weak in challenges, his heading ability is mediocre, and he often makes positional errors.’
In the summer, Köln director Thomas Kessler clarified he must prove himself during the pre-season. That doesn’t seem to have happened, resulting in his current situation.
“A player who costs that much should ideally be playing. But he wouldn’t be the first player in football history to only really make the leap in his second or maybe third year,” Kessler explained.
However, Bild warns the German club may run out of patience and a departure may be the solution in January.
West Ham United are keen, and his situation at Köln can help them secure a reasonable [probably loan] deal in the next window.
Earlier this year, Van den Berg said he snubbed Bayern Munich to join Middlesbrough. In the summer, he decided against going out on loan and it didn’t work out.
The Hammers can hope he makes the right decision in January because his club seem to be open to his exit.
