West Ham United are in the market for a midfielder this summer, and Israel international Dor Peretz is something of a left-field target.
Sport1 reported last month that West Ham want to sign Peretz on a free transfer with his Maccabi Tel Aviv contract coming to an end.
CSKA Moscow were also in the race, with the 26-year-old attracting real interest thanks to his displays over in Israel.
West Ham face Hamburg battle for Peretz
Rotenburger Rundschau claim that Hamburg are looking to sign Peretz, but it would require a change of plan.
It’s stated that Hamburg are looking to focus on being a ‘training club’, placing greater emphasis on young players and developing them.
Peretz is described as being a ‘big exception’, meaning the second-tier German side could now really push to bring Peretz in.
Is Peretz really a priority for West Ham?
West Ham do need a midfielder this summer, but they have so far been focusing on rushing through a pre-Euro 2020 move for Spartak Moscow midfielder Alex Kral.
Peretz smacks of being a cheap target just in case Kral doesn’t sign, offering depth behind Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek.
Peretz ‘belongs at the top’ of the game according to former Israeli boss Andi Herzog, suggesting that he would be worth €20million (£17million) if he was playing in Germany.
Signing an alleged £17m player for free should be appealing, but West Ham will now have to battle Hamburg for Peretz.
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