West Ham are one of the teams ‘thought to be tracking’ the Aston Villa-linked Chelsea midfielders Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley, according to The Telegraph.
Loftus-Cheek has failed to feature in either of Chelsea’s last two matchday squads, which is said to have prompted ‘a host of clubs to check on his availability’.
And it is claimed that at least eight in England and Europe – which presumably include West Ham and Aston Villa – are interested in taking the 24-year-old on a season-long loan.
As well as Loftus-Cheek and Barkley, Chelsea currently have Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante and Billy Gilmour to call on in central midfield.
And that could lead to moves for either Loftus-Cheek, Barkley or both, with The Telegraph adding that the Blues boss Frank Lampard ‘may have a tough decision to make between the two players’.
Should West Ham or Aston Villa pursue deals for the two England internationals, one would have to be signed on a permanent basis due to Premier League loan rules.
Fans of West Ham and Aston Villa – which Chelsea midfielder do you most want to sign?
West Ham’s record transfers
- Sebastien Haller
£45 million
- Felipe Anderson
£41.5 million
- Marko Arnautovic
£25 million
- Pablo Fornals
£24 million
- Issa Diop
£22 million
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