Nottingham Forest have launched a new move for a West Ham star and it’s brilliant news because it can mean only one thing.
West Ham reportedly have a paltry summer transfer budget of just £51.5m.
Meanwhile Nottingham Forest must cut their financial cloth carefully to avoid further punishment over the Premier League’s PSR rules.
Having narrowly avoided relegation, Forest clearly need to improve their squad.
At West Ham another seven signings are needed in a major rebuild.
So it is clear that player sales are going to be key to raising additional funds for both Nottingham Forest and West Ham.
The problem is new Hammers head coach Julen Lopetegui has been left with the second oldest squad in the Premier League.
Player sales key for West Ham and Forest budgets
As a result it will be difficult for West Ham to sell some of the players who are reaching the end of their Premier League careers.
The likes of Danny Ings, Kurt Zouma and Michail Antonio are all surplus to requirements according to recent reports.
Ings has been yet another striker flop since arriving for £15m from Aston Villa.
Lopetegui wants captain Zouma sold as he chases two new centre-backs.
One move the Hammers made was for Brazilian defender Vitao. That was reportedly hijacked by Forest – although news on that move has gone quiet since.
Another in the swansong of his career is Antonio, who turns 35 next season. The former Forest striker has admitted he is open to a move having almost left the Hammers in previous windows.
One area West Ham are said to want to strengthen is up front. There have even been links to Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi as well as a host of others.
But now Nottingham Forest have launched a new move for a West Ham star and it’s brilliant news.
Forest launch new move for Antonio and it’s brilliant news
The Sun claims Forest are lining up a “sensational swoop for their former striker”.
The report claims Antonio is now expected to leave West Ham as part of a “massive Lopetegui clearout”.
It is stated that Forest are being rivalled by a number of clubs from MLS and the Premier League as well as RB Leipzig in Germany.
Antonio always references his time at the City Ground as the best of his career.
Now he could be set to return it seems.
That can only be great news for West Ham.
Antonio has been a fantastic servant for the Hammers in a host of positions since arriving for just £7.5m in 2015.
But as with so many players at West Ham down the years, the club has failed to upgrade and replace adequately.
That has led to an over-reliance on Antonio which has, at times, been detrimental to the club’s progress.
New striker definitely on the way if Antonio is sold
He once again ended last season as West Ham’s only viable striker option. That is simply not acceptable in the top flight, where most clubs have at least two or three quality strikers.
The fact Lopetegui is willing to sell Antonio to Forest means only one thing for West Ham.
A new striker is definitely on the way in.
There is no way West Ham would entertain Antonio leaving if that wasn’t the case.
If Forest do sign Antonio, he will go with the best wishes of West Ham fans after what he has done for the club.
He has scored some hugely important and historic goals for the Hammers down the years including their last ever at Upton Park and the first in the Premier League at the London Stadium.
West Ham’s prime striker target is said to be Sevilla’s 27-year-old forward Youssef En-Nesyri.
So this reported move by Forest for Antonio could be the first sign yet that West Ham are confident of getting a deal done for the Moroccan, who shone under Lopetegui at Sevilla.