The bold £120m transfer spree West Ham should launch with Declan Rice sale money

Their star player may be departing, but that just means that West Ham United are set to embark upon their second European campaign in succession with an enormous amount of money burning a hole in their back pocket. Declan Rice is off, but £105m is a pretty hefty price, and gives the Hammers the cash they need to rebuild the midfield and add a bit of spice to other areas of the team.

We’ve cobbled together a list of some of the players West Ham should have down as priority targets this summer as they look to splash the Rice cash – from big money buys to bargains. All have been linked with a move to east London at some stage or another, and all make total sense as David Moyes looks to build a squad capable of consistently challenging in the upper reaches of the Premier League table – and while buying the whole lot would come to slightly more than the £105m windfall they’re about to earn, the Europa Conference League prize money should hopefully cover the rest…

Jonathan David – Lille, £50m

If West Ham badly need one thing, it’s a consistent striker. Gianluca Scamacca struggled for both fitness and consistency and is likely on his way back to Italy, while Michail Antonio and Danny Ings, for all their historical excellence, will be 33 and 31 respectively come the start of the season. Fresh blood is needed in the front line, as is a player who can score 20 goals a season, or at least come close. Canadian international David could well be the man.

West Ham aren’t the only team linked with one of the best goalscorers in France but they may just have the financial wiggle room to make the best offer, and while a rumoured price tag of around £50m may sound like a pretty big sum, it could be an absolute steal in a time when prodigious number nines are hard to find. David racked up 24 goals for Lille this year – his best return yet – and has the combination of pace, predatory instincts and technical finesse to put up similar numbers in the Premier League. Any club in with a sniff of buying him should throw the kitchen sink at it, and then some.

Jonathan Bamba – Lille, free

Why settle for one forward called Jonathan who plays for Lille when you can have two? Ivorian international Bamba is available on a free transfer this summer and would add some serious depth to the wide areas of attack – which can look a little thin once you get past Saïd Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen, neither of whom played as well this last season as they have in the past. A bit of competition could do them the world of good.

Bamba is a wide forward, right-footed but more comfortable on the left, and while he isn’t the best dribbler he is a smart passer of the ball who is excellent at setting up quick interchanges around the box while providing a respectable goal-threat of his own. In other words, he as a very similar profile to Harvey Barnes, who West Ham could be about to spend £40m on – but would be free and is more flexible tactically. He doesn’t score quite as many – six this past season to Barnes’ 13 – but sets more up and is a much more well-rounded player. We’re not economic experts, but even if you think Barnes is better, he surely isn’t £40m worth of better, and saving the cash here would free West Ham up to spend the money on…

James Ward-Prowse – Southampton, £40m

For the most part, the press have cooled considerably on the idea of Ward-Prowse heading to the Hammers, but if we were in David Sullivan’s shoes we’d rather spend our ‘England international’ money here than on Barnes.

Rice’s imminent departure necessitates a midfield rebuild but also leaves the club without a beating creative heart – although Lucas Paquetá could end up taking that role, providing that he doesn’t leave as well. Regardless of what the Brazilian does, Ward-Prowse is such a great passer of the ball, such a superb set-piece taker and such a solid presence in the heart of the park that he would ensure the quality levels stayed pretty similar to where they were with Rice – and probably at less than half the price. That would just be great business, and West Ham should surely still be keeping tabs on the Southampton man.

Denis Zakaria – Juventus, £10m

Swiss international Zakaria impressed during his stint at Borussia Mönchengladbach but has struggled to break into the first team in Turin, while a brief stint as part of Chelsea’s slow-motion train crash last season didn’t help too much either. Juve are keen to get rid to fund their own midfield rebuild, and Zakaria could be available at a knock-down price.

A powerful midfield presence, strong in the tackle and with a simple but assured passing game, he would provide the combination of steel and solidity that West Ham may well need with Rice gone and Tomáš Souček struggling to maintain the kind of form we saw from him a couple of years ago. At worst, Zakaria would be a decent squad option at a fair price. At best he could be a key defensive player.

Yunus Musah – Valencia, £20m

The 20-year-old American international has managed to impress at Valencia despite the club doing their best to implode around him this season, and would add versatility, physicality and a direct play style to the West Ham squad that wouldn’t do the Hammers any harm at all.

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A recent edition of The Wonderkid Files delves into more detail when it comes to assessing Musah’s strengths and weaknesses, but suffice to say that while there are still some rough edges to smooth off, he could be a very shrewd investment for the touted £20m price point, and can play in a few different positions, lending a bit of depth to a squad with quite a few ageing bodies on the bench. A genuine talent, and worth a very close look.