Despite a recent turnaround in their form under Nuno Espirito Santo, the East London club remain in the relegation zone and three points shy of safety.

Former West Ham scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that they will find it “incredibly difficult” to keep hold of their best players if they go down.

Summerville has attracted a lot of high-profile attention from Premier League rivals including Tottenham, whose interest in the winger was rebuffed in January.

Spurs are not the only club keeping a close eye on his situation, though, with “vultures” now ready to swoop if West Ham are unable to ensure survival.

West Ham could be forced to sell Crysencio Summerville

Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson told Football Insider that West Ham will entertain offers for Summerville and considered selling him in January.

The winger has scored four goals in his last five Premier League appearances, but could be tempted to move on rather than return to the Championship.

“West Ham will have real problems if they go down,” Brown told Football Insider.

“It becomes incredibly difficult to keep hold of your best players, because they all want to be on top money and playing in the Premier League.

“Summerville is going to be one of those, I expect, because he’s showing recently he can perform in the Premier League and so there will be interest in him.

“The vultures will be circling over West Ham, keeping an eye on who might be available and who these clubs feel could make a difference for them.

“They’ve had a bit of a turnaround in form but it’s hard when you’re down there to gain on the clubs around you, so they’re very much at risk.

“There is every chance they could go down and then if offers come in for players like Summerville, I think they might be forced to let him go.”

West Ham stars could follow Summerville out

Summerville is not the only West Ham star attracting interest given their current relegation battle, as multiple big names are now being targeted.

Brown told Football Insider on 9 February that Mateus Fernandes could leave West Ham and is attracting a lot of interest thanks to his impressive displays.

Should they suffer relegation to the Championship, West Ham‘s players have clauses in their contracts which will see their wages slashed by 50 per cent.

As a result, they will struggle to hang on to their best players if they are unable to reach safety, with Fernandes near the top of the list of potential departures.

Football Insider revealed in January that West Ham had no plans to sell Fernandes despite the growing interest as a result of his impressive displays in East London.

To find out the details about Mateus Fernandes’ future at West Ham, read more on West Ham Zone.