ANDRE GOMES

West Ham have made an opening gambit in the region of £18million for Bacelona midfielder Andre Gomes.

Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini has identified the Portugal international as a priority signing this summer and the club have acted fast to try and get a deal over the line.

Gomes caught West Ham’s attention after a sterling debut season in England during his loan spell at Everton.

The Merseyside club are eager to retain Gomes’ services but no preferential option was included in the agreement last summer.

According to The Time report, West Ham have now moved into pole position to land the midfielder’s signature after tabling a bid close to £18m. 

Marco Silva stated earlier this month that the club must ‘do everything’ within their powers to ensure the permanent signing of Gomes, but it now seems like they could miss out on him.

Barcelona splashed out in excess of £40m to sign Gomes from Valencia back in 2016, but are now keen to offload the player after he struggled to meet expectations.