West Ham could be making a smart decision if they do choose to pursue Valencia midfielder Hugo Guillamon, according to journalist Dean Jones.

Reports last week suggested that the Hammers have identified the Spanish international as a potential option if they need to replace captain Declan Rice, and Jones claims that David Moyes’ side would be getting a very promising young player:

“It’s not an obvious one that the top five or six [Premier League teams] will be looking at, but you can imagine that that situation will change soon if he continues to improve at the rate he’s been improving at. So, I think it’s one to look out for.”

Guillamon is only 22 years of age, so he is slightly younger than Rice and, like his English counterpart, he can also play as a centre-half if called upon so he would seem to be an excellent replacement.

At the moment, though, there is no certainty that Rice will be leaving the London Stadium. The likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City have all been linked with the midfielder, but West Ham would demand at least £120m for his services.

It should also be pointed that Guillamon is not the only player that the Irons are looking at. The likes of Ajax’s Edson Alvarez and PSV’s Ibrahim Sangare have been scouted in recent weeks as well.