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Journalist says club ‘resigned to losing’ £22m West Ham midfield target
West Ham United fans will no doubt be sick of all the speculation linking Declan Rice with a move away.
In case that happens, the Hammers will have to look for a replacement.
One player who has been linked with a move to West Ham is France international Matteo Guendouzi.
The 24-year-old burst onto the scene at Arsenal a few years ago and shone under Unai Emery.
However, Mikel Arteta ended up freezing Guendouzi out and eventually sold him to Marseille.
Since then, the Frenchman has improved as a player and has also matured as a person.
recently reported that Guendouzi features highly on West Ham’s transfer wishlist.
‘He’s improved a lot’
Jonathan Johnson, writing on , spoke about the Marseille ace’s future.
He said Guendouzi would certainly be a “logical” signing for the Hammers.
In addition, Johnson said Marseille are now “resigned” to losing their player at the end of the season.
However, the journalist also acknowledged Aston Villa might have more pull than West Ham at present.
“Assuming Rice does move on, Guendouzi would be a logical way for them to use that money,” he wrote.
“But with what’s gone on in the Premier League this season I’m not sure West Ham would be seen as the most attractive destination, unless they can pull off something special in the Europa Conference League.
“Wherever he ends up, I think Marseille are resigned to losing Guendouzi this summer.
“And it’ll be interesting to see what he can achieve if he does return to the Premier League, as I think he’s improved a lot since his difficult spell at Arsenal as a youngster.”
Our view
West Ham would be getting themselves an outstanding midfielder in Guendouzi.
And with a reported price tag of just £22million, he wouldn’t break the bank.
Admittedly, Villa probably do fancy their chances of beating the Hammers to Guendouzi.
However, if the Hammers do sell Rice, they’d have a lot of money to put towards a bumper offer for Marseille and their player.