West Ham's bid for defender Aaron Long has been turned down

West Ham have had an initial loan offer for USA international centre-back Aaron Long rejected by New York Red Bulls.

The Hammers made a $500,000 (£382,000) offer to loan Long until the end of the season with a $4.5m (£3.4m) option to buy him outright in the summer.

Long, who was named as Major League Soccer's Defender of the Year in 2018, was also the subject of interest from West Ham last summer, but the 27-year-old was unable to secure a work permit.

Speaking last summer, Long said: "As our biggest ally, it seems strange that a football player from the US can't automatically get a work visa to play in England.

0:42 David Moyes says West Ham will only sign players capable of making an instant impact to help lift the club away from the relegation zone David Moyes says West Ham will only sign players capable of making an instant impact to help lift the club away from the relegation zone

"Every kid in the USA dreams of playing in the English Premier League. Not many players get the chance, so of course I would like to play there someday."

How to follow the January transfer window with Sky Sports

Sky Sports will bring you the very latest news from the January transfer market with the return of three shows.

Start your day with Good Morning Transfers at 9am as our team of reporters bring you the latest news and insight. Transfer Talk then follows at midday delivering analysis of the biggest stories. Then join us at 7pm for the definitive round-up of the day's news with The Transfer Show.

Meanwhile, the Transfer Talk podcast will also be back at the turn of the year with more expert analysis from here and across the continent.

And as well as tuning into Sky Sports News, don't miss a thing with our dedicated Transfer Centre blog.