WHU disaster: 27 y/o “artist” wanted by Moyes over last year has his price tag doubled - opinion

West Ham could lose both Manuel Lanzini and Declan Rice this summer, and with Alex Kral almost certain to return to his parent club Spartak Moscow and Mark Noble set to move on at the end of the season, midfield certainly seems an area where Irons manager David Moyes will be looking to strengthen.

Kalvin Phillips has been heavily linked with a move to the London Stadium this year, but a deal with Leeds at this moment seems unlikely after the midfielder’s agent Kevin Sharp said: “He has never asked to leave Leeds in all his time with the club and has no intention of doing that now or in the summer.”

The club could now be forced to look at other options, and one man who could be on the shortlist is long-term target Antonin Barak. He was heavily linked with a move to east London back in January and also last summer, but their failure to land the Czech midfielder back then might now prove costly.

Last summer, Italian publication La Arena suggested that the Hammers were willing to pay £10m to land the Hellas Verona star.

However, due to his sensational form this season for his club, the price tag has risen to around £17m according to Corriere Di Verona [via Sport Witness], and it may even go up to £25m should the 27-year-old continue his fine form.

Having scored ten Serie A goals from midfield this season already, also creating four more in just 25 appearances, Barak has averaged an impressive 7.11 match rating from Sofascore.

Analyst OptaPaolo labelled him an “artist” after becoming the first midfielder to score a hat-trick for Verona in their Serie A history, and he has continued to win admirers throughout the course of the campaign.

At 6 foot 2, he would be a difficult midfielder to stop in the Premier League, as he ranks