Moyes returns to haunt West Ham with Everton’s €30m transfer bid

Robin Bairner

Updated: 28 Mar 2026 11:39 GMT
4 min read

Everton manager David Moyes is ready to deal a transfer double blow to former club West Ham as the Toffees prepare for an ambitious summer in the market.

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Moyes has led the Merseyside club into an unlikely battle for Champions League football next season, with Everton sliding up to eighth in the table, just three points back of local rivals Liverpool in fifth.

Encouraged by this impressive performance, the board appear ready to back their manager in the market over a summer in which they hope to be preparing for a European campaign.

Moyes in ‘ambitious’ Real Madrid raid

Everton are preparing a €30 million bid for Real Madrid centre-back Raul Asencio, who is also on West Ham’s summer shortlist.

Moyes appreciates that there is a need to add some youth to a defensive line that contains veterans James Tarkowski and Michael Keane. He wants a player who is technically solid but also physically robust, and he believes that Ascencio can offer both qualities.

Current ETV

Raúl Asencio

D (C)

Real Madrid

Raúl Asencio

D (C)

Real Madrid

ETV Range

€33.4M - €40.8M

Indeed, Asencio is see as a potential leader of Everton’s defence for the next decade and a “statement of intent” in the transfer market for the Liverpudlian side.

For his part, the 23-year-old is said to be open to a move. Despite signing a new contract at Real Madrid last summer, he is said to be disappointed with the inconsistent minutes that he has experienced this term.

Los Blancos, meanwhile, are refusing to rule out a potential transfer, as long as their asking price is met.

Asencio has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €37.1m – suggesting that Everton may need to up their offer in order to get this deal over the line.

© IMAGO - Raul Asencio in action for Real Madrid

Everton target West Ham’s Soucek

Moyes’ second signing target of the summer more directly affects West Ham as the Scot wants to be reunited with Tomas Soucek in the summer.

The 31-year-old moved to the Hammers on a permanent basis under the guidance of Moyes, and could be signed by the 62-year-old boss for a second time, according to Football Insider.

Soucek, who is wanted by the Toffees for his experience, is out of contract in 2027, meaning that West Ham will be under pressure to sell.

However, Everton will target a younger, higher-profile option if they qualify for Europe.

Current ETV

Tomas Soucek

DM, M (C)

West Ham

Tomas Soucek

DM, M (C)

West Ham

ETV Range

€12.3M - €15M

No revenge mission for Moyes

Moyes left West Ham in the summer of 2024 by mutual consent after leading the London club to the Conference League title.

While fans were happy to see the back of the Scot, with many claiming a cycle had naturally come to an end, the Hammers have sunk down the Premier League table dramatically since his departure and find themselves in a relegation battle under Nuno Espirito Santo.

Everton, on the other hand, have been re-energised by Moyes, who is in his second stint at the club, after a successful run from 2002-2013 at Goodison Park.

There has been no sense of animosity publicly between Moyes and West Ham, though clearly it would be a major boost for him if he were to beat his former club to a talent like Asencio in the summer.

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