West Ham United can use Declan Rice transfer to lure Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares to London Stadium
Although the sale of Declan Rice will leave a gaping hole in the heart of the West Ham United first-team, David Moyes could still use the transfer to his advantage.
The England international is set to complete a £100million plus £5million in bonuses transfer to Mikel Arteta’s side after Manchester City withdrew from the race for his signature.
And although additions in midfield may be the number one priority for the Hammers this summer, the size of the transfer should allow for plenty more transfer activity, including the signing of Arsenal full-back Nuno Tavares.
The I reported [29 June] that the Hammers were eyeing a cut-price deal for the 23-year-old, with a figure of £8million mooted.
David Moyes is looking for competition for Aaron Cresswell at left-back and hopes that the sale of Declan Rice to the Gunners could help a deal materialise this summer.
Although the Scot can already call upon Cresswell and Emerson at left-back, the former has often been used in a left-sided centre-back role and is most likely nearing the end of his West Ham career at the age of 33.
Tavares could also offer the Hammers an option further up the field, proving himself an extremely useful attacking option for both the Gunners and during his time on loan at Marseille last term.
His output of six goals from 31 appearances wouldn’t look out of place with several of West Ham’s wingers last season, and with Pablo Fornals and Manuel Lanzini also looking ever-more likely to be heading for the exit gates of the London Stadium, the Arsenal ace looks an intriguing option to pursue.
If David Sullivan and the club have wiggled their initial valuation of Rice and bent a touch towards how long Arsenal would take to pay the instalments, it could leave them in a favourable position to pursue a move for Tavares later in the window.
Arsenal want to offload the Portuguese defender this summer as part of their summer overhaul, and West Ham should happily oblige to pay the £8million asking fee.
In other West Ham United news, the Hammers are already preparing to cash in on the Declan Rice money as they hold a transfer meeting in London as they’re confident of sealing a £50million signing.