West Ham United have been linked with a stunning move for Nice midfield star Jean-Michael Seri.
West Ham have been linked with a raft of new signings since Manuel Pellegrini’s appointment as the Chilean looks to add some much needed quality to the Hammers squad, as reported by the likes of the Telegraph.
West Ham are interested in the likes of Felipe Anderson, Issa Diop, Alfie Mawson, Lukas Fabianski and Mario Gotze according to various reports.
And now Pellegrini has been linked with a keen interest in Nice midfield star Jean-Michael Seri as reported by the likes of The Sun.
The Sun claims West Ham are ready to hijack Chelsea’s move for Seri, who is regarded one of the hottest midfield prospects in Europe.
The report states the 26-year-old has a release clause of £35million as West Ham plan unprecedented spending in an effort to appease disgruntled fans and back new boss Pellegrini, as stated on talkSPORT by Hammers co-owner David Gold.
But West Ham may now be forced to look elsewhere after Sky Sports revealed Seri is on the verge of a shock move to Italian side Napoli thanks to the prospective funds they will receive from the sale of Jorginho to Manchester City.
The Metro reports Pellegrini has been handed a transfer budget of £70 million by West Ham co-owners Gold and David Sullivan to spend in the summer window.
At £35million Seri would blow half of that in one fell swoop.
And given the Hammers need at least five top quality signings to be competitive next season, it would leave little room for manoeuvre on other targets.
Seri has been likened to Chelsea star N’Golo Kante and would be a major coup for the Hammers but it looks like they will miss out on yet another target.
The news comes amid uncertainty over West Ham’s bid for Lazio star Felipe Anderson, which was being reported as a done deal last week but has yet to come to fruition, as reported by well-placed Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.
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