David Moyes will face West Ham transfer dilemma if…

David Moyes will face West Ham transfer dilemma if they complete £50m Leicester City move

West Ham United have been credited with interest in signing Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes this summer.

A report in The Guardian has claimed that West Ham are keen on improving their options on the left wing and that should they do so, they have registered an interest in Barnes, who has also been linked with being on the radar of Aston Villa.

That report says that Barnes has been valued at £50million, but that estimate could be reduced as early as this weekend, with Leicester on the brink of getting relegated, unless they beat West Ham at the King Power Stadium and Everton fail to pick up three points at home to Bournemouth.

Should the report be correct and West Ham seal a move for Barnes, it would lead to manager David Moyes facing a dilemma in that position.

Said Benrahma, Pablo Fornals and Maxwel Cornet have all been battling it out for minutes on the left wing this season, with Benrahma largely coming out on top, helped by Cornet missing over five months of the season between October and March due to a calf issue.

If West Ham were to sign Barnes, it would leave them with four senior recognised left wingers, meaning one or two could be offloaded.

In the cases of Fornals and Cornet, they both have versatility on their side, with Fornals able to play as an attacking midfielder, as well as some starts on the right wing this season. Cornet meanwhile can also play on the right, as well as being a left-back, wing-back and striker.

However, Benrahma has been the club’s joint-top scorer in the Premier League this season with six and has netted 11 goals in all competitions, although five of them have come from the penalty spot.

Barnes meanwhile has netted 12 Premier League goals, twice as many as any West Ham player, having played almost 600 fewer league minutes than Jarrod Bowen this season, who is tied at the top with Benrahma for league goals this term.

West Ham will continue to need strength in depth next season, especially if they are to qualify for next season’s Europa League, something they will achieve if they beat Fiorentina in next month’s Europa Conference League final.

But, an arrival for Barnes would be likely to lead to at least one of Benrahma, Fornals and Cornet departing the club. Playmaker Nikola Vlasic, currently on loan at Torino, can also play on the left, but he is also a potential candidate to be sold this summer.

READ NEXT

Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.

Already a member? Sign in here