West Ham United have been linked with a move for Ross Barkley, while Everton are keen on Pedro Obiang.
West Ham United’s Pedro Obiang
According to the Daily Mirror, West Ham are planning to offer Pedro Obiang a new contract to try and prevent the Spaniard being tempted by the prospect of joining Everton, who are interested in bagging his signature.
Tying Obiang down to a new deal would undoubtedly be an excellent piece of business from the Hammers given how impressive he has been for the club since his arrival in 2015, but perhaps the Irons should think about reconsidering their desire to open talks with the midfielder.
The Daily Star recently suggested that West Ham were interested in Toffees midfielder Ross Barkley and were prepared to offer him wages of £140,000 a week.
Barkley is in a strange position at Goodison Park with the Daily Mirror reporting that with Davy Klaassen already through the door and Gylfi Sigurdsson also on Everton’s radar, the academy graduate could actually have to spend the final year of his contract on the sidelines if the club do not receive a bid matching their asking price (which the Star suggests is £50 million).
Ross Barkley
However, if Barkley remains at Everton as the summer drags on, it may not be out of the question to suggest that the Toffees would consider lowering that price to ensure that they do not lose him for a compensation fee next summer, especially if they manage to land Sigurdsson.
And West Ham should not only continue to monitor Barkley’s situation, but they should also perhaps consider offering Everton some kind of swap involving Obiang in an attempt to bring the price down further.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
It would undoubtedly be a gamble, and may not be a popular decision, to sacrifice one of their most impressive players from this past season for a player who, despite having the talent, has struggled to win Ronald Koeman over.
But it may be a gamble that Slaven Bilic should perhaps consider taking – especially if Everton’s interest in Obiang sees the fee they want for Barkley drop significantly – if he feels that it could be a player like Barkley who could help the side move to that next level.
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