David Moyes could fund new West Ham United striker transfer with Said Benrahma and Thilo Kehrer sales
With the January transfer window on the horizon, West Ham United will be considering how best they can strengthen their squad without breaking the bank.
The Hammers could do with a new number nine as they remain reliant on the services of Michail Antonio through the middle, with Danny Ings and Divine Mbumba struggling for regular minutes and form in David Moyes’ side.
However, after a summer which saw plenty of money spent to replace Declan Rice in midfield, with James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus all coming to the London Stadium, players may have to be sold to fund a purchase.
One player who could be set to depart West Ham is Said Benrahma, with the Algerian’s agent holding face-to-face talks with Moyes over the winger’s future amid plenty of interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia [The Sun, 25 November].
It is understood that the Scotsman is not keen to push the 28-year-old out of the club and would ideally keep him in his squad, but a deal could be agreed given his lack of involvement if the fee is right.
Another player that is reportedly available for the correct fee, either in January or the summer, is Thilo Kehrer, with the Hammers happy to accept a deal for around £13 million for the German to help raise funds for a new forward [Claret and Hugh, 23 November].
Neither player has played a crucial role in the early stages of the Premier League season, with Kehrer yet to start a single league match and Benrahma has only started four matches, managing only a single assist.
While both players have been important in the Europa League campaign and played big roles in last season’s Europa League Conference League success, Moyes would be able to afford his new striker if he was able to sell both out-of-favour stars this January.
The Hammers have plenty of depth out wide so would not be greatly impacted by the loss of Benrahma, while Kehrer has fallen behind Konstantinos Mavropanos in the defensive pecking order since the Greek international arrived this summer.
Every team aspire to have a depth of quality in every position, but currently West Ham have a more pressing need for a new striker than they do for an outstanding third-choice wide man and fourth-choice defender.
Should the Irons receive anywhere near the £20 million they spent on Benrahma in 2021 [Sky Sports] and the £13 million they hope to pocket for Kehrer, that £33 million would go a long way to funding a deal for a new striker.
In other West Ham news, Andoni Iraola has suggested that the links between Dominic Solanke and the Hammers are good for Bournemouth