West Ham will have to go on the offensive this summer and somehow gather the necessary funds to reinforce the squad. David Moyes has once again managed to save the Hammers from demise but the team needs to refresh and what better way to do that than to bring in some new faces?

According to the latest report from the Sunday Mirror's printed edition, the coach has set his gaze on Barcelona's young starlet, Monchu. Seeing how they want young and hungry players to give them that edge for the upcoming season, the 20-year-old seems to fit the bill perfectly.

The bad news, however, is that the Catalan giants have reportedly already declined a £26m bid and would ideally want a sum that's closer to £36m. This could potentially be an issue since West Ham are not exactly swimming in cash at the moment, especially since the recent outbreak has left them drained of funds.

Still, Barcelona are in the same boat and are eager to sell as many players as they can this summer. £36m does seem a bit much for an academy player who's not even in the first-team yet but seeing how Monchu has a release clause of around £90m, this deal could still fall under the category of a real bargain.

The question now remains, can Moyes actually lure him away from the Camp Nou with a good project in the Premier League? It seems like it could be easier said than done.

Only time will tell.

Verdict

Monchu is far from a regular in Barcelona's first-team squad but the youngster has made his Champions League debut against Napoli last Saturday and it would certainly be difficult to snatch him away at this point.

West Ham may have more success if they were to try for a loan deal, although that also seems unlikely at this point. Monchu is incredibly talented and Sunday Mirror state he even drew comparisons with Xavi Hernandez, a Barcelona legend, for his leadership abilities and incredible technique, and the Catalans may be keen on keeping him for the future.