West Ham United have started work “behind the scenes” to secure adequate replacements for Declan Rice at the London Stadium, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has informed GIVEMESPORT.
The Irons hope to find alternative options to their midfield enforcer after bringing David Moyes’ side a club-record transfer fee.
West Ham transfer news – Rice replacements
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Arsenal have reached a total agreement with West Ham over the transfer of Rice, who will sign for the north London outfit in a deal worth £105m.
The club captain leaves a significant void in Moyes’ midfield as the Scotsman considers how best to replace the England international at the London Stadium this summer.
Unsurprisingly, the Hammers have been working on several targets in the middle of the park, with Rice’s transfer out of the club on the cards for the last 12 months.
According to The Guardian, West Ham are considering whether to push ahead with a loan move for Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria, who spent last season at Chelsea, having made the temporary switch from Turin to Stamford Bridge.
The Serie A giants could cash in on the midfielder, with the east London outfit looking at inserting an option to buy for around €18m (£15.4m) at the end of his loan spell.
And the same report credits West Ham with interest in Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, but the Cottagers are expected to demand at least £50m, a reduction from the initial £90m touted last month.
Meanwhile, Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse is another option.
The 29-year-old will be eager to return to the Premier League after enduring relegation to the Championship with the Saints last term.
The report also mentions Ajax’s Edson Alvarez, Manchester United’s Scott McTominay, Everton’s Amadou Onana and Bristol City’s Alex Scott as alternative targets.
And Sheth has claimed West Ham could bring in “two or three” new midfielders to fill the void left by Rice’s departure.
What has Sheth said about West Ham?
Sheth told GIVEMESPORT: “Life after Declan Rice is starting already because West Ham will be doing lots of work behind the scenes on replacements for him.
“It’s very difficult to bring in one player in that position and say, ‘There you go, do what Declan Rice does.’
“It might mean that West Ham have to tweak the way they play and maybe bring in two or three new midfielders.”
Who else could West Ham look to sign this summer?
Midfielders will be the order of the day for Moyes, but the Conference League champions are keen to strengthen in other areas of the pitch this term.
Transfer insider Dean Jones has recently informed GIVEMESPORT that West Ham could strike up a swap deal with AC Milan, with Gianluca Scamacca heading to the San Siro in return for former Liverpool centre-forward Divock Origi.
Meanwhile, journalist Ignazio Genuardi has claimed that the Irons are battling Brentford and Newcastle United for the signature of Strasbourg forward Habib Diallo, who bagged 20 Ligue 1 goals last season.
And FootballTransfers have linked West Ham with a surprise move for Everton star Alex Iwobi, who has displayed his capabilities at playing both out wide and in midfield, which could offer Moyes a useful versatility in his squad.
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