Julen Lopetegui wants West Ham to axe £210,000-per week duo in January

West Ham could save themselves nearly £1 million per month in wages if they offload two first-team players in the January transfer window.

Bringing in 10 players, the Hammers, led by Julen Lopetegui, enjoyed a busy summer.

And although the team have yet to gel, the West Ham board remain committed to their manager and hope to see an improvement in results after the international break.

However, following such strong investment earlier in the year, the Hammers now need to trim back some of their expenses.

Lucas Paqueta is the club’s highest earner at £150,000-per week. The Brazilian, although previously linked with Manchester City, is virtually untouchable so is unlikely to be going anywhere in the next window.

West Ham transfer news: Hammers want to sell duo in January

The same can’t be said for Michail Antonio and Danny Ings, though. The pair are out of favour and saw their places in Lopetegui’s pecking order slip following the arrival of Niclas Fullkrug in the summer.

Consequently, according to Football Insider, the pair, whose contracts expire at the end of the season, face an uncertain futures but are unlikely to be offered renewed deals.

Combined, the two strikers pick up £210,000-per week (Spotrac) meaning the club would save a considerable amount once their deals expire, and even more if they’re successfully offloaded in the winter window.

Although the Hammers’ preference would be to sell both forwards in January, given their contractual situations, as well as their significant wages, finding a buyer will be difficult.

The end of Antonio’s contract will signal an end to a decade long spell in East London. Ings’ time with the club will be far less memorable though with the Englishman scoring just five goals in 56 games since his transfer from Aston Villa 18 months ago.