West Ham United are still battling against relegation.
The Hammers are not quite safe with four games of the season remaining.
They have 31 points from 34 games ahead of their clash with Norwich City on Saturday and sit just three points clear of 18th-placed AFC Bournemouth.
Nevertheless, they appear to be making plans for the summer already.
And manager David Moyes has clearly decided that he wants to get rid of first-team stars as the window looms.
Per Football Insider, one player will be on his way out of the club, with Moyes unable to trust his ability.
Indeed, he has struggled for football throughout the 2019/20 season and appears to be on his way out.
That man is defender Fabian Balbuena, who has played just 91 minutes of football in the club’s last 13 games, playing the full game in the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur and coming on for a minute in the win over Chelsea.
Moyes, though, is not said to be convinced by his ability, and is hopeful of recruiting a more assured third-choice central defender in the summer transfer window.
Balbuena arrived for a fee of £4 million in 2018, per the report, and has a contract that expires in 2021.
That, clearly, means that this could be the last summer in which the Hammers can recoup a fee for the Paraguay international.
GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…
This really isn’t a surprise.
Balbuena has been on the winning side in the Premier League, having started, just three times this season, against Chelsea, Southampton, and AFC Bournemouth.
He was clearly a low-cost signing and was brought in at relatively low risk too; for £4m, he has made 41 appearances and even scored two goals.
He has been a bargain buy.
But it is clear that Moyes is not convinced by his ability; if he were to play him regularly, perhaps there would be the potential of a new contract, but that seems more and more unlikely.
Relegation would likely seal his fate but, even if they stay up, receiving a fee that can be reinvested into the squad ought to be a priority this summer.