West Ham should offer 7-goal player in swap deal for 'outstanding' Leeds United star - opinion

West Ham could have a swap deal opportunity staring them in the face heading into the summer transfer window. Graham Potter has a big summer ahead of him after a pretty disastrous start to life in charge at the London Stadium.

Potter has not managed to improve results after taking over from Julen Lopetegui, and West Ham now find themselves in 17th place, and fortunately not in danger of relegation because they still only have 36 points, which would often put them at least in danger of being sucked down to the Championship.

Potter will get chance to put his own stamp on this squad over the summer, but rather than going into the new season with a fresh slate as planned, there will be instant pressure on the Englishman given the lack of improvement he has managed since arriving early in the year.

The Hammers will surely already be planning for incomings and outgoings, and according to ExWHUemployee via the West Ham Way, they are interested in Leeds United duo Ethan Ampadu and Mateo Joseph. The first of those is particularly interesting, with Ampadu a reliable operator in midfield, while he can also play further back.

The 24-year-old is a clear leader, already the captain at Elland Road, while he is also a senior member of the Wales squad having represented the nation since 2017, racking up 54 caps to date.

With Carlos Soler’s future in doubt, Ampadu could slot into that double pivot nicely, although he will not be an easy player to sign given Leeds have just secured their return to the Premier League. The Whites will inevitably see the midfielder as a key part of their future going forward.

Leeds boss Daniel Farke said of Ampadu after a game late last year: “I thought he was outstanding in the last game. His defensive awareness, his steel. He drives the game forward. He was out for such a long time and showed what he can do,”

Having said that, Kalvin Phillips is being linked with a return, and Czech outlet MF Dnes have reported that Leeds are interested in signing Tomas Soucek from the Irons. It’s reported that Soucek is concerned about his spot as a regular going forward, and it’s claimed the could move on, with Leeds seeing him as a potential option. Soucek has made 30 league appearances this season, scoring seven times.

According to Transfermarkt, there is just a £5.1million gap in the valuation of the two players, with Soucek valued higher, and so there could be a route to a swap deal if West Ham wanted to snap up Ampadu and offload a potentially unhappy player. Such a deal would suit the Irons, given they will have to have an eye on Profit and Sustainability rules this summer as they look to remodel their squad.

Ampadu feels like a very Potter signing, given the Welshman’s ability on the ball, but convincing Leeds will be a much trickier matter as excitement at Elland Road builds ahead of a Premier League season next term.

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