Thus, this summer, West Ham United may be about to deal Tottenham Hotspur a very serious blow.
After arriving at the London Stadium earlier this summer, Julen Lopetegui, the manager of West Ham, is ready to put a major wrench in Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou’s plans.
The Hammers gaffer has £90 million to spend this summer, excluding player sales, according to a top football finance expert.
That’s hardly a lavish war-chest in this day and age, but if Lopetegui manages to move on the likes of Nayef Aguerd, Danny Ings, Michail Antonio and Flynn Downes, he should have a significant amount of cash to spend.
And it seems like the West Ham manager is ready to blow a large chunk of that budget on one player who Tottenham are said to be in for.
The East London outfit need to bolster our attacking ranks desperately this summer, in spite of the recent signing of Luis Guilherme.
The addition of someone who can play out wide on the left or through the middle and right-footed would be perfect.
And it seems like Spurs now face stiff competition from the Hammers for one of their key attacking targets this summer…
West Ham hijack Tottenham Hotspur’s £30 million move
The Hammers are set to go toe-to-toe with our fiercest rivals in the Premier League for a truly elite player this summer.
According to Caught Offside, West Ham have entered the £30 million race to sign Genoa attacker Albert Gudmundsson in the summer transfer window.
The Hammers have been heavily linked with a move to sign the supremely talented forward on numerous occasions in the past.
Calcio Genoa are suggesting that the winger is a prime target for Tottenham, but the north London outfit won’t have things all their own way now.
The 27-year-old is exactly the kind of signing the Hammers should be looking to make this summer in my opinion.
Total Football Analysis Magazine once described the Icelandic star as a player with ‘explosive ability’.
Gudmundsson was sensational for Genoa last season, and bagged an impressive 16 goals and five assists in 37 games.
The 37-capped Iceland international can play anywhere along the front-line but is at his best when operating in the number 10 role or out on the left wing.
He possesses incredible technical ability and is very quick along the ground. £30 million seems like a fair price to pay for the Genoa star.
Now, if we are to sign him, I strongly believe that Lucas Paqueta will have to be moved on first, in order to raise the funds needed for the 27-year-old and to create space for him in the team.
Whether that happens or not remains to be seen but regardless, I think the Genoa ace would be a fine addition for the Hammers.
And if West Ham manage to hijack Tottenham’s deal to sign Gudmundsson this summer, it will be all the sweeter.
