Romano Reveals Whether West Ham Were Ever That Close To Signing Ex Chelsea Star

West Ham did not make a concerted effort to sign former Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley on a free transfer, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Both the Hammers and Everton have been heavily linked with the England international, but the player signed for Nice at the weekend. Romano claims the French club were the only team actively pursuing his signature following his release from Chelsea:

“West Ham and Everton have often been linked with Barkley but have never submitted proposals. Nice have wanted him for weeks, and there has not been a race with other clubs because the French club have insisted and convinced Barkley in the last ten days.”

It’s not a surprise that West Ham weren’t looking to pursue a deal for Barkley. Although he is a player that manager David Moyes has worked with before, the Irons are now well stocked with attacking midfielders following Lucas Paqueta‘s arrival at the London Stadium.

With Pablo Fornals and Manuel Lanzini also in the squad, Moyes has plenty of creative talent available to him, although the fact that the club have only scored three times in six league games does indicate he needs to make better use of the players at his disposal.