Memphis Depay has emerged as a potential target for West Ham this summer, according to club insider ExWHUemployee.
David Moyes in the market for at least one striker this summer after going the entirety of last season with just Michail Antonio on the books as a first-team striker.
Chelsea’s Armando Broja has regularly been linked with a move to east London since the transfer window opened, with one report claiming the Albania international is Moyes’ number-one target.
But now, ExWHUemployee claims Barcelona’s Depay may also be an option if a move for Broja doesn’t materialise.
it is claimed the Netherlands international could be available for as little as £17m this summer, which would be well within West Ham’s budget for a new frontman.
But it does appear that any move for the former Manchester United player will all depend on whether or not Chelsea can be tempted into selling Broja before the end of the summer window.
ExWHUemployee said on The West Ham Way Podcast: “I don’t think we’ve made an offer yet, but we’ve certainly had an interest in the past because I’ve reported it – Memphis Depay of Barcelona. He’s apparently available for £17m.
“Now obviously, he’s going to have loads of clubs after him and his agent said they turned down a lower-ranked English team recently. I don’t know if ‘lower-ranked’ would actually characterise West Ham because we were a top-half-of-the-table team and finished in the Europa League semi-finals.
“But it wouldn’t surprise me if other forward options like Broja don’t start to come into play soon, that we try and see what the deal is saying with Depay.”
As Ex says, given we’ve finished in the top seven of the Premier League in the last two seasons and reached the Europa League semi-final last term, it would come as a bit of a surprise if Depay and his representatives saw West Ham as a ‘lower-ranked’ English team.’
Of course, that might mean any team not playing Champions League football next season, but the fact is we’re no longer a lower-ranked team in the Premier League, and not even across the continent.
So this is a deal that might have legs if Broja doesn’t arrive at London Stadium in the coming weeks.
The 28-year-old struggled at Manchester United with just seven goals in 53 appearances across all competitions but has reacted since with 76 goals in 178 for Lyon and then 13 in 37 for Barcelona.
This one might be a long shot, but it’s certainly not completely unbelievable.
