West Ham United are in a relegation battle, and regardless of whether they stay in the Premier League or not next season, they are likely to lose a number of first team players following a few underwhelming seasons in the English top flight.
The board is likely to have to rebuild the team effectively from scratch and younger signings are expected to be the club’s priority after several ageing veterans in the last few years were not appropriately replaced.
Having said that, Caught Offside has reported that West Ham are pondering over the signing of Barcelona youngster Dro Fernandez next year when he will be in the final 12 months of his contract with the La Liga giants.
Fernandez has taken major strides at La Masia in recent years and has played a couple of matches with the first team this season, although owing to heavy competition for minutes in Barca’s final third, the club may be willing to sell him.
A bright talent on West Ham’s radar
Barcelona might be prepared to sell Dro Fernandez next year if he is unable to break into the first team more consistently over the upcoming months. The Catalans might use him as a chip to earn more money to try and balance their finances.
Dro Fernandez’s valuation on Transfermarkt stands at just £4 million, and though that is little money for West Ham to spend on a player, it is a figure that could help Barcelona in facing lesser complications with registering key players at a youngster’s expense.
At just 17, Fernandez is an attacking midfielder with a sky-high ceiling with the ability to dictate tempo in the engine room with short passes and runs into free pockets, whereas his shooting from distance is also fairly accurate.
It remains to be seen if the player himself would be open to a switch to England, but he promises to be a signing for the future for West Ham and a risk-free option if things don’t end up working out given his ripe age as well as a nominal price tag.
