West Ham United want to sign Matteo Guendouzi to replace Declan Rice
West Ham United want to sign Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi to replace Declan Rice this summer, according to a report from L’Equipe (20 April).
The Hammers are expected to lose their captain at the end of the season with Arsenal and Chelsea pushing for his signature, meaning David Moyes must find a replacement in the heart of the midfield.
Now France international and former Arsenal ace Guendouzi has emerged as a target for the summer according to a report, although they will have to compete with Aston Villa and Newcastle to get a deal done.
Guendouzi is expected to leave Ligue 1 this summer after two seasons with Marseille, with a fee of around £35m expected to be enough to get a deal done.
Interesting
Rice is seen by many as a quality defensive midfielder with great abilities to break up play and burst through gaps to progress the ball.
Guendouzi is very similar stylistically, and is always showing for the ball too and being brave in possession. He struggled during his previous spell in the Premier League, but he was very young at a struggling Arsenal side. Even then though Gary Neville called him “fantastic”.
Now that he has gone to Marseille though he has really matured and grown into an influential player, which means he could come back with a point to prove and have a spot he could fill well.
£35m seems a high price but considering we’re likely to get around £100m for Rice, it wouldn’t be a crazy investment to bring in Guendouzi who is the same age and plays the same role.
We’d then have extra money to further bolster the squad with another midfielder, a central defender and a striker that we need to make sure we don’t repeat this season next year.