Graham Potter to get funds for three signings as bidding war ignites for wantaway West Ham star

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Graham Potter has received a massive transfer boost with news West Ham could soon have money to do deals for three signings.

With a miserable season out of the way, focus now turns to a West Ham rebuild Graham Potter says will be ‘exciting and interesting’.

Exciting because the Hammers boss is planning to overhaul the team around young, hungry, dynamic players.

Interesting because West Ham’s PSR situation is such that he must sell in order to be able to buy.

Best news yet for Potter ahead of window opening

Some doubt has been cast over West Ham pleading poverty ahead of a hugely important summer transfer window.

But the club continues to insist there is no money to spend until players are sold.

Before heading off for a family break after the win at Ipswich, Potter delivered a bold West Ham transfer update.

The Englishman claimed head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay has been ‘very busy’ lining up targets.

In an update overnight, West Ham’s board revealed the focus is currently on moving players out so Potter can start making signings.

“Sadly we have minimal ammunition to play with,” a spokesman for West Ham’s owners told Hammers News.

“We’re now trying to get a few players out so we can start trading.”

Now it seems that push could bear fruit.

And Potter looks to get funds for three signings as a bidding war ignites for a wantaway West Ham star.

It is highly unlikely the Hammers will be going out and spending large amounts on any single transfer deal this summer.

Macaulay is targeting prospects rather than established stars.

Bidding war erupts for wantaway West Ham star

The Scottish recruitment guru is also looking at players in the last two years of their contracts where fees will be more reasonable.

West Ham have made it clear they expect to make at least five signings.

With Mohammed Kudus and a host of others up for sale, on average the club will likely have around £15-25m to spend per signing.

So Potter has received the best news yet ahead of the window opening this Sunday, June 1.

Because a bidding war has ignited for wantaway star Nayef Aguerd.

And it means the Hammers should get at least £20m back for the defender they paid Rennes £30m for three years ago.

Potter to get funds for three signings thanks to Aguerd

According to an exclusive from Foot Mercato, Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid all want to sign Aguerd.

Marseille and Leverkusen are reportedly making his signature a priority with West Ham now expected to get £20m back thanks to the bidding war.

Hammers News exclusively revealed last month that Aguerd has no interest in playing for West Ham again.

That came in response to claims Potter may want to reintegrate him into the Hammers team as he looks for a new centre-back this summer.

In the grand scheme of things in modern day football, £20m may not sound a lot of money.

But the way football transfers work, it would effectively be enough to do deals for at least three players in the £20-25m bracket.

With amortisation, a transfer fee is paid in instalments, and the cost of signing a player is spread over the duration of their contract.

How £20m enables West Ham to pay for three or four players

It means if West Ham are committing to buy a £25m player on a five-year contract, it is recorded as a yearly expense of £5 million, rather than a lump sum.

Amortisation helps clubs manage their finances and comply with financial regulations such as PSR. It allows David Sullivan and the Hammers board to avoid a large upfront cost in their accounts and instead spread the expense over the player’s contract length.

So the fact three clubs are vying for Aguerd – and driving up his price to anything between £15-20 is fantastic news for Potter.

It will give him funds for at least three signings in the £25-30m range.

And that’s straight off the bat, before the sale of Kudus and others.

One thing that Potter and fans will have to take into consideration is Jean-Clair Todibo.

West Ham are due to pay the first instalments on his £32m fee this summer.

Around £6m of that would be due this summer if spread over five years, hence some of the Aguerd fee going to pay that as well as providing money for new arrivals.