According to a report from the Mirror, West Ham could be the beneficiaries of a key decision from the board of a top six rival.
The report claims that on-loan playmaker Jesse Lingard is part of a quartet of players that Manchester United are looking to offload in order to raise funds – and their intent to sell could help to facilitate a permanent move to the London Stadium.
The board will set the initial transfer budget at £80 million, but the club will look to raise an additional £60 million through the sale of unwanted players.
Lingard is joined by Diogo Dalot, Phil Jones and Juan Mata as figures that the Red Devils are keen to offload, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s decision that the quartet are not a part of his plans could be the Irons’ gain.
However, the report also names the supposed asking price of each player with the report listing Jesse Lingard as being valued at £20 million.
With Lingard currently operating at a rate that is seeing him average a direct goal involvement in most games he has featured in, it is not unfathomable that Manchester United would put such a hefty tag on their playmaker.
However, separate analysis by Eurosport rightly questions whether United would need to be more flexible in the current market that is experiencing deflation.
Citing the likes of Arsenal and Barcelona, who offloaded high earners for free, it may be that United earn less than expected from player sales.
Opinion
With no option to buy included in the Lingard loan deal, any final fee for the dynamo is likely to come at a high price.
The Hammers will need to be flexible in order to secure the best value for money.
