In-demand: West Ham could battle Newcastle for the signing of Lille defender Sven Botman this summer
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)West Ham are tracking Lille defender Sven Botman as David Moyes looks to overhaul his squad this summer.
Moyes recently held discussions with the West Ham board over their plans for the next transfer window as they try to remain in the conversation for Europa League and Champions League football in the years ahead.
Botman, 22, matches the profile of a left-sided centre-back that Moyes feels is needed to bolster his squad and is among a number of defenders being monitored ahead of the summer.
The Dutch youth international started all but one of Lille’s Ligue 1 matches as they won the title ahead of Paris Saint-Germain last season.
West Ham pushed to sign Marseille's Duje Caleta-Car in the January window but could not strike a deal with the Ligue 1 club. The Croatian is a player they could return for in the summer.
Should they move for Botman, who has signalled his desire to depart Lille this summer, West Ham are likely to face significant competition from Newcastle and AC Milan.
Moyes may need more than one central defender in the summer window. Angelo Ogbonna is set to recover from his ACL injury at the end of this season but, at 33, it is unclear at what level the Italian will be able to return.
A striker remains another priority and West Ham could return for Benfica's Darwin Nunez having seen a club-record £50million bid rejected in January.
Competition for Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek in central midfield is needed. Mark Noble will retire at the end of the season while Alex Kral is likely to return to Spartak Moscow.
Moyes has warned that change is coming at the London Stadium this summer as the former Manchester United boss looks to prevent things from going stale after two remarkable years.
The Hammers manager has shown a deft touch in the transfer window since his return to West Ham and while additions such as Kral have not paid off, the success of Kurt Zouma, Jarrod Bowen and Soucek cannot be understated.
It is players of that level, or above, that Moyes is now looking to add.
Speaking in a recent interview with Standard Sport, Moyes said: “I see new players, I see a stronger squad, I see a change of the guard in some places because of what’s happening at the club. But that will be normal. We do have to make changes in the summer, we do need to look at how to move forward again."
