West Ham target Manchester United defender in summer

Bengaluru, Feb 18: West Ham United boss Manuel Pellegrini will move for Antonio Valencia if Pablo Zabaleta decides this season will be his last.

The Hammers want Zabaleta to stay but the 34-year-old full-back has yet to announce if he plans to play on next term.

There are talks that he will be offered a role behind the scenes at Manchester City, where he is a cult figure after nearly a decade there if he retires.

Pellegrini is eyeing possible replacements if the Argentine does call it a day and Manchester United misfit Valencia tops his list.

Valencia has been at Old Trafford for ten years but his contract ends this summer and there are no plans to discuss a new deal.

The Ecuador defender is a year younger than Zabaleta and although Pellegrini has a tight budget, a free transfer would bring his £100,000-a-week wages within range.

Valencia has struggled to live up to expectations this season, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was full of praise for him at the start of the month.

Valencia has been a fantastic servant to his current club, making over 330 appearances in all competitions and captaining the side since the start of this campaign.

Speaking about his injury, the interim boss said: "Well hopefully he'll recover.

"Because he's training hard, really hard. Then he got a setback, so hopefully, in a couple of weeks, he'll be back with us.

"He's been a fantastic servant for the club, he's the captain for a reason."

Valencia appears to be an excellent potential replacement for Zabaleta if the 34-year-old does retire.

Some West Ham fans may have their concerns about replacing a veteran with a player who is less than seven months younger.

But perhaps on a free transfer, it could prove to be an incredibly shrewd piece of business considering the experience Valencia possesses.