Are West Ham clearing space for massive double deal by offloading Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko?

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Many West Ham United fans are already getting restless over the club’s transfer activity – or lack of it – but is something brewing?

West Ham have been linked with a plethora of players in all manner of positions from all over the world.

Assistant manager Stuart Pearce has said that most of the reports linking players with West Ham are ‘way off’ the mark. That suggests Moyes is keeping a tight lid on his transfer plans.

So let’s look at the facts.

West Ham’s window (in)activity so far, let’s look at the facts

David Moyes’s budget is said to be anywhere between £50 million to £85 million.

His priorities are to sign Jesse Lingard, at least one striker, a centre-back and – if the budget allows – cover in defensive midfield and at left-back.

Some of the budget – we are lead to believe – will be dependent on selling or offloading some players.

We know that the club are keen to ship out Felipe Anderson – who earns around £80,000 per week – and Andriy Yarmolenko, the club’s biggest earner on a reported £115k per week, as they enter the final year of their respective contracts.

Manuel Lanzini, on £100k per week, has also been linked with a return to River Plate. But Moyes has publicly stated he is a big admirer of the Argentine on several occasions.

Hammers desperate to offload high-earning duo, could this be why?

And he may be retained and used as central midfield cover after impressing there before picking up an injury towards the end of last season.

The other major issue that has reared its head over the last week is Declan Rice.

The Telegraph has claimed West Ham’s midfield talisman has rejected two contract offers from the club.

There has been talk that West Ham may have to go as high as £200,000 per week to get Rice to sign a new long-term deal. If the Hammers value their main man at £100m plus, that is not an outlandish salary by modern standards.

Lingard, should he be signed, would command wages of £100k plus too.

Are West Ham clearing space for two big deals by offloading Yarmolenko and Anderson?

But the only consistent talk so far surrounding West Ham is the departures of Anderson and Yarmolenko. In fact West Ham appear to be so desperate to get rid of the pair that they are willing to let them leave for next to nothing.

So while this may be a case of two plus two making five, is it reasonable to conclude that West Ham are in effect clearing the decks of two big earners to make space on the wage bill for Rice’s big new deal and the arrival of Lingard?

If Anderson and Yarmolenko leave that is just under £200k per week saved in wages.

Rice is believed to be on around £65k per week currently and Lingard reportedly wants around £130k per week.

Time will tell. And with 50 days left of the window, West Ham fans won’t have to wait too long to find out when it comes to Lingard especially.

In other West Ham news, Moyes has been given a boost after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sent a clear message to Lingard over his standing at Man United.

And the Hammers boss has praised linked away star’s quality and professionalism.