West Ham United winger Jarrod Bowen could become available for as little as £15million next summer, should the Hammers fail to secure promotion back to the Premier League during the current season. Aston Villa were reportedly among the Premier League clubs interested in signing the 29-year-old winger this summer, with manager Unai Emery known to be an admirer of Bowen’s talents.
Bowen’s long-term future at West Ham became uncertain after the club’s 14-year stay in the top flight ended in May. Despite this, the club captain confirmed last month that he intended to remain at the London Stadium to lead West Ham’s efforts to regain Premier League status.
According to talkSPORT, Bowen’s contract contains incentives rewarding immediate promotion back to the top division, as well as a release clause that would allow him to leave for £15million if promotion is not achieved. This represents a significant reduction from the previous release clause Bowen had as a Premier League player.
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Reflecting on his decision to stay, Bowen said, “There’s a lot of thinking time over the summer and a lot of things that go in your head. For me, I look in years and years to come of when I retire… what’s going to bring me the most happiness? It was a no-brainer. The main motivation is staying and bringing this club back into the Premier League, where we belong.”
Since joining West Ham from Hull in 2020, Bowen has made 280 appearances and scored 85 goals. He also highlighted the club’s ambitions and the loyalty of its supporters, saying, “The ambition I got from them, certainly in terms of the direction that the club wants to move in, interested me a lot. It didn’t take a lot because this club means a lot to me. I’ve been here six and a half years and transitioned from a boy really from the Championship to the captain of the club, which is a huge honour.”
Bowen praised the club’s loyal fanbase, noting, “50,000 season ticket holders in the Championship is some feat. It goes to show you that loyalty and love they have for the club, and they want to see it back in the Premier League. We need everybody to be part of that. There’s going to be a different pressure, but the most important thing is desire and attitude and a winning mentality.”
West Ham will begin their 2026/27 campaign on Saturday with a first-round League Cup fixture against Portsmouth at the London Stadium.