West Ham do “retain an interest” in Aston Villa attacking midfielder Jacob Ramsey, according to The Telegraph ‘s Mike McGrath.
The journalist is usually very reliable when it comes to transfer stories and he says the Hammers, Everton and Nottingham Forest are all weighing up moves for the 24-year-old.
Ramsey could be available this summer. He is a homegrown player so he would go down as pure profit on Villa’s accounts.
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With the Midlands club needing to balance the books to stay within the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules, a sale might be considered. McGrath suggests a fee in the region of £30m may be enough to get a deal done.
West Ham do have the funds following Kudus’s exit
Graham Potter’s team received around £55m from Tottenham for Mohammed Kudus, and while the best part of £17m will be spent on Slavia Prague’s El Hadji Malick Diouf, there is room in the budget to go after Ramsey.
Of course, the Irons are also hoping to strengthen other positions, in addition to midfield, so that will have to be factored into any offer that is made for the Villa playmaker. Potter is hoping to bring in a new goalkeeper, a central midfielder, a left winger and a striker.
Ramsey could be used in two of those positions (midfielder and on the wing) so, for that reason, he could be viewed as a perfect addition to the squad.
A move for Ramsey may depend on Paqueta’s future
It should be pointed out that the former England Under international’s preferred role is No.10, and it may be the case that he is being targeted as a potential replacement for Lucas Paqueta.
There are suggestions that the Brazilian is hoping to return to Brazil, regardless of the outcome of the FA’s spot-fixing trial. Flamengo are said to be keen on re-signing their former player.
In other news, a Premier League club is reportedly “close to signing” a player who West Ham have made enquiries for