Report: West Ham told £35m for Franco Vazquez as Husillos contacts agent

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West Ham United are understood to be targeting Sevilla’s La Liga play-maker Franco Vazquez but a move to the Premier League seems unlikely.

After years of distinctly underwhelming recruitment, West Ham United have shown some refreshing ambition after a season in which the fans’ patience with owners Gold and Sullivan appeared to come to a rather abrupt end.

The Hammers smashed their transfer record to sign Issa Diop and are set to do the same with Felipe Anderson, who is closing in on a £40 million move from Lazio according to the Telegraph.

West Ham have also landed a proven Premier League goalkeeper in Lukas Fabianski, a much-needed right-back in Ryan Fredericks, an England international and boyhood Irons fanatic in Jack Wilshere and a skilful, goal-scoring winger in Andriy Yarmolenko.

But, with Argentine play-maker Manuel Lanzini sidelined until the new year through injury, there is still a gaping whole in the centre of Manuel Pellegrini’s midfield; one he has been tipped to fill with Italian international Franco Vazquez.

Tuttomercatoweb reported this week that West Ham had been in contact with Sevilla over potentially signing the 29-year-old, who moved to La Liga from Palermo in 2016 for a fee of £12.5 million.

But it seems Sevilla are not keen on cashing in.

As reported by Estadio Deportivo, West Ham’s director of football Mario Husillos has called Vazquez’s agent, only to be told that Sevilla will not sell for less than his £35 million release clause.

The Andalusian side’s new coach, Pablo Machin, plans to introduce a 3-4-2-1 system and use ‘Mudo’ as one of the number tens behind a loan front man.

Interestingly, Vazquez is understood to be good friends with Pellegrini’s assistant coach Enzo Maresca, who he played alongside at Palermo in Serie A. But with a £35 million price-tag on his head, do not expect a deal to happen.