It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that West Ham’s midfield is on lock for the foreseeable future with Declan Rice.

The Hammers academy product has been one of the stories of the season, establishing himself as a first-team player in the West Ham starting XI and becoming a full England international with Gareth Southgate’s exciting Three Lions squad, but there is something Rice has been missing, a true midfield partner.

Mark Noble has been solid enough but can be improved upon whereas Pedro Obiang has been lacklustre at best this season, and Jack Wilshere has missed the majority of his debut year with the Hammers with injury, shocker I know.

For Rice and West Ham to truly excel, there needs to be a creative powerhouse in the midfield that can dictate the play and bring the best out of everyone around him in the team, and according to reports, Manuel Pellegrini is looking at just that.

According to the Times, West Ham have submitted an £18 million bid for Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes, who has had a successful season out on loan at Everton, and securing the Portuguese international will be massive for the Hammers.

Valued at £25.2 million on Transfermarkt, the playmaker would be a coup for Pellegrini, elevating the quality in the West Ham team and directly installing added creativity into the midfield that the Irons have lacked over the past season.

There will be competition for Gomes, but if West Ham can win the race for the midfielder it could be one of the signings of the summer and solve the long-term problem of who could be Rice’s new midfield partner.

West Ham fans, would Gomes be a good signing? Let us know!