Slaven Bilic’s West Ham side needs rejuvenating this summer and the Hammers have kicked off the close season in ideal fashion by securing Pablo Zabaleta to strengthen their defence, whilst assuring the futures of both Michail Antonio and Manuel Lanzini at the London Stadium.
Further additions are needed though and West Ham need to secure a major coup if they are to compete for a spot in the top-six next season, which is admittedly difficult due to the challenges they face from rival sides in the market.
However, the latest reports suggest West Ham are prepared to double Ross Barkley’s wages to bring him to East London from Everton and a deal for the England international would be a significant coup for the Hammers.
Barkley’s services have been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur but it’s not exactly clear where he would fit in to either side’s starting eleven and first-team assurances will be crucial to Barkley’s negotiation this summer ahead of a World Cup year.
At West Ham, Barkley would certainly become one of the first names on the team-sheet and the attacking partnership he could create alongside Antonio and Lanzini would be incredible, helping to push the Hammers to where they intend to be.
The 23-year-old is set to enter the final 12 months of his deal and Toffees boss Ronald Koeman has made it clear he will be sold if he doesn’t put pen to paper on a new deal- which opens the door for West Ham, as long as they can convince Barkley of their ambition.
From the outside, moving to West Ham from Everton could be seen as a step sideways rather than forwards, arguably even a step backwards, but many may feel Barkley isn’t quite ready to become a regular for a top-four side and West Ham could secure a deal if they bring the England ace up to speed with their project.
Should he be secured, from a rival side that will be fighting for European football next season, West Ham would send a huge statement of intent out to the rest of the Premier League and would secure a significant, big name who could potentially fill the void left by Dimitri Payet’s unceremonious exit in January.
Of course, securing Barkley’s signature won’t be easy and they’ll have a stern test to prove that they are capable of luring big names to the London Stadium after missing out on top-targets a year ago.