A Premier League club’s ridiculous demands for young midfielder could make signing him a struggle for West Ham.

As much as a striker is understandably the priority, there’s an argument to be had that they need a midfielder and a centre-back just as bad.

Although the likes of Soler, Soucek, Paqueta, and Alvarez are all good players in their own rights, there’s a real lack of pace as well as someone who can transition from defence to attack consistently.

It seems like the club is hopeful that Chukwuemeka could be that player.

The 21-year-old has hardly played for Chelsea since joining in 2022 and his time in West London is seemingly nearing its end.

Despite reported interest from West Ham, they may find it extremely difficult to secure his services. Not only are there multiple clubs keen on securing his services, but Chelsea are supposedly not wanting to take part in a loan deal which is exactly what the Irons would want. Instead, they want a club to reach his £40 million release clause.

Undoubtedly, he’s got bags of potential, but £40 million for someone who’s hardly played for the club is absurd. There shouldn’t be a club on the planet that even considers paying that sort of money for him. He’s going to have to work towards being match sharp and it’s hard to gauge where he’s really at right now with so little playing time.