West Ham could move for Ross Barkley if they are unable to bring Jesse Lingard back to the London Stadium on a permanent basis, according to reports.
Lingard produced a scintillating run of form while on loan from Manchester United at the back end of last season, and re-signing the England international is thought to be the Hammers' number one priority this summer.
However, 90 Min are reporting that, should a deal for Lingard not come to fruition, Barkley could be an alternative.
The 27-year-old, who played under current Hammers manager David Moyes at Everton, spent last season on loan at Aston Villa from Chelsea.
Profiling fairly similarly to Lingard, and with that prior connection in mind, we can probably file this one under 'You could see it happening'.
With such a wealth of attacking midfield talent in the Blues' squad, it's hard to see Barkley featuring in the plans of Thomas Tuchel - who replaced Frank Lampard while the midfielder was with Villa - next season, so completing a deal may well be relatively straightforward, with Chelsea thought to be open to the possibility of a loan.
That said, West Ham are thought to be increasingly likely to re-sign Lingard - who banged in nine goals in 16 games in what was one of the great Premier League loan spells.
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