Moyes targets duo in £40m West Ham double deal to bolster attack and defence
West Ham manager David Moyes has put Blackburn’s 20-goal hitman Ben Brereton Diaz and Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips at the top of his January shopping list.
The Hammers chief wants to give his side the best opportunity to secure a top-four finish this term. However, he knows to do that that a couple of additions are needed before the window shuts.
Moyes is looking to bolster his attack to provide cover for injury-prone top scorer Michail Antonio, with Chile international Brereton Diaz the man he wants to bring to the London Stadium.
Brereton Diaz, who qualifies for Chile through his mother, has notched 20 goals from 26 league games in the Championship.
However, Blackburn are so far unwilling to sell their prize asset, who they value at around £25million. Rovers also sit third in the table and have a real chance of automatic promotion back to the Premier League.
Leeds and LaLiga side Sevilla are also keen on the 22-year-old, whose contract runs out this summer. However, Blackburn do have an offer to trigger a one-year extension – rather than lose him for nothing this summer.
Meanwhile, Moyes is also keen to strengthen at the back and wants Red star Phillips to bolster his defence.
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The Daily Express adds that Phillips will cost around £15m, with Jurgen Klopp willing to let the player leave.
The 24-year-old was outstanding when he stood in for injured duo Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez last season. But he’s found opportunities this term tough to come by, especially after Liverpool signed Ibrahima Konate over the summer.
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Loan signings an option for West Ham
The report states that Phillips could arrive in east London on loan. Indeed, Moyes admits that temporary additions to his squad could happen.
He said: “Yes [we’ll consider loans] but I do not like the word extra bodies, because extra bodies end up not being good enough. You want to bring in bodies who are good enough to have an impact on the team.
“Extra bodies don’t count for anything, it is like a sugar rush but eventually, it wears off. You are better off trying to get the right players and if not, sticking with what you have got.
“The players have done a brilliant job but today [Sunday, after they lost 3-2 to Leeds United] was just a little too much to ask them to go again at the end of this week.
“We’re asking about players and other clubs that are trying to get them are asking about players and it is taking a bit of time for things, the domino effect to really happen.
“We’ve made some offers behind the scenes for players, we’ve tried to look at situations so it’s not as if we’re not doing it at the moment. You just need to look around football and see that there’s not a lot of deals happening at the moment.
“The general feeling is that it is a bit tougher for whatever reason that may be. I’m hopeful we can pull something off.”
The Hammers are back in action on Saturday when they head to Moyes’ old club Manchester United.
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