‘Not confident’ – West Ham dealt brutal blow in race to sign ‘excellent’ player, Barcelona also want him | OneFootball

West Ham United are still trying to find their feet under Graham Potter’s leadership, but there are plans to back him this summer.

Potter replaced Julen Lopetegui as manager in January and inherited a highly unbalanced squad following a summer of headless spending by the club.

Despite having to work with an impossible stack of cards, West Ham were only able to back him with one addition to the squad in January.

They signed highly rated Evan Ferguson on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion at Potter’s behest, but he has struggled to repay the manager’s faith.

West Ham have a healthy buffer on the dreaded relegation zone, but they’re also far from a potential top-ten finish, leaving them with nothing to fight for.

Nevertheless, Potter is keen to finish a tumultuous season positively, ahead of another potential squad overhaul in the summer.

West Ham are already making moves to bolster Potter’s squad and have made Lille midfielder Angel Gomes a primary target.

However, they’ve been dealt a brutal blow in their quest to lure the ‘excellent‘ 24-year-old midfielder to the London Stadium.

Gomes rejects West Ham offer, club may have to move on

Gomes is set to be a free agent this summer when his contract with Lille expires, and several European clubs are closely monitoring his situation, including La Liga giants Barcelona.

Keen to give themselves a fighting chance, West Ham tabled a £100,000 per week contract offer for Gomes, but it was not enough to tempt him.

Unfortunately for West Ham, that may be as high as they can go.

The Hammers need to reduce their wage bill to fund a move for Gomes, but they must wait until summer before offloading deadweight.

With Barca also keen on the Englishman, the Hammers can’t afford to wait that long before closing a deal.

Even if they did raise their offer, several hurdles remain before a deal can be finalised, especially with West Ham unable to offer continental football.

Multiple sources are not confident that the Hammers can wrap up the deal.

Gomes would have been a fantastic addition to Potter’s midfield options, but West Ham may have to move on to other targets.