West Ham are planning a bold move to take Ross Barkley on loan for the rest of the season from Chelsea,, with new manager David Moyes seeking a reunion with the midfielder he nurtured as a teenager.
Chelsea insist that Barkley is an important part of their first team plans, but he has struggled for regular action in recent months, with Frank Lampard preferring the likes of N’Golo Kanté, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacić, and Willian ahead of him in midfield.
Barkley has started the last two games for Chelsea – the FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest, in which he scored, and last weekend’s home defeat of Burnley.
Nevertheless, he might be tempted by a move to East London because he wants to be part of England’s plans for Euro 2020.
Moyes wants to recruit fresh legs into West Ham’s midfield, with Carlos Sanchez out of favour, and jack Wilshere, yet again, struggling to be fit.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.