West Ham eye Chelsea swap as summer exits pile up | OneFootball

Chelsea Swap Deal Hinted as West Ham Prepare for Summer Shake-Up

Chelsea keeper linked in Kudus swap twist

There is a curious irony to West Ham’s summer transfer dealings. After spending over £120 million last season in a bid to evolve, they now appear trapped in the very cycle of evolution they helped fund. According to TeamTalk, the club is not just preparing for exits but engineering them with the deftness of a team hoping to swap problems for solutions.

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One such solution may lie in Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez, who is reportedly being considered as part of a potential swap deal involving Mohammed Kudus. “Kudus has Saudi clubs keen on his signature,” TeamTalk writes, “while it’s believed the Ghanaian winger has been offered to Chelsea.” West Ham, for their part, are holding out for a £70 million fee, more than double what they paid Ajax in 2023.

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But instead of straight cash, a creative compromise might be on the horizon. With Chelsea chasing AC Milan’s Mike Maignan and keen to offload Sanchez, the prospect of Sanchez linking up again with Graham Potter, his old Brighton boss, offers a tantalising subplot.

Aguerd exit and Ten Hag’s Bundesliga vision

Then there’s Nayef Aguerd, the Moroccan international who cost West Ham £30 million but now finds himself outside Potter’s plans. His time on loan at Real Sociedad appears to have been a one-off, not a springboard. “Aguerd… has no future at West Ham,” TeamTalk states bluntly.

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What’s more intriguing is that Erik ten Hag, newly installed at Bayer Leverkusen, is reportedly keen to bring Aguerd to Germany. Ten Hag’s interest carries more than just passing curiosity. It’s a signal of how undervalued West Ham’s fringe players may be elsewhere in Europe, even as they are deemed surplus in East London.

Marseille have also shown interest but are balking at the £25 million valuation. Meanwhile, West Ham’s domestic house-cleaning continues apace. Vladimir Coufal and Aaron Cresswell are both gone. Edson Alvarez and Guido Rodriguez are expected to follow Kudus and Aguerd out the door.

Strategic reshuffle or desperate measures?

West Ham’s efforts this summer look less like a calculated rebuild and more like the last hour of a car boot sale, where sentimentality and planning are tossed aside in the rush to clear space and claw back cash. Sanchez, a capable keeper with Premier League pedigree, would offer Potter the type of comfort and continuity he seems to crave, but the real question is: what does it say that a club willing to part with Kudus would entertain such a swap?

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Paquetá uncertainty lingers over plans

No summer discussion around West Ham is complete without addressing the uncertainty around Lucas Paquetá. The Brazilian faces four charges of spot-fixing and two of obstructing an FA investigation. With judgement expected before the season starts, West Ham are operating with one eye on a potential bombshell that could derail any semblance of pre-season cohesion.

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This all feels a bit like rummaging through the wardrobe during a fire. It’s not just about who’s going out, but how hastily and with what rationale. Kudus is one of the few genuine stars in the current squad. Offering him up in a swap deal, even for a competent keeper like Robert Sanchez, feels short-sighted at best.

While Aguerd’s time at the club may have run its course, his departure alongside Alvarez, Rodriguez, and possibly Paquetá strips the team of its spine. Where is the contingency? Where is the vision?

Graham Potter is a talented tactician, but this many moving parts suggest confusion rather than clarity. It’s hard not to fear a repeat of the post-Rice hangover, where spending masked a lack of direction. This summer needs more than deals. It needs identity. And right now, that seems in as much flux as the squad itself.