West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic faces competition from Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion in bid to sign a highly-rated French under 21 international.
According to reports in France Tony Pulis and Eddie Howe have been alerted to the talent of Montpellier midfield star Morgan Sanson after West Ham registered an interest.
The highly-rated France U21 midfielder has been on the Hammers’ radar since Bilic took over in 2015.
France Football claims West Ham are prepared to pay up to 6 million Euros for the player as they look to bolster their squad with the likes of key midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate away at the African Nations.
Morgan Sanson (left) in action
Fresh reports from France Football claim Ligue 1 side Marseille are also keen on the 22-year-old playmaker, who has three goals and seven assists in 20 appearances this season.
Marseille want to secure talks with Sanson’s representatives while Borussia Dortmund are also credited with an interest.
Montpellier would prefer to hold out until the summer before sanctioning a sale and it remains to be seen whether the player would swap a midtable French side for a midtable team in the Premier League.
Midfield dynamo could forge a partnership with fellow Frenchman Dimitri Payet
West Ham’s need is undoubtedly the greatest with Bilic’s side sat 13th in the top flight after enduring a torrid second season under the Croatian.
A recent upturn in form was halted by harsh back-to-back defeats to Leicester City and Manchester United.
But if the club can bring in a player like Sanson, who would link up well with fellow Frenchman Dimitri Payet, it would give supporters renewed hope for the remainder of the season.
At present the Cherries and West Brom are both enjoying fine seasons, particularly Tony Pulis’ side who sit eighth at the halfway stage.
The Hammers offer the biggest lure, though, with their stature, London and their new 60,000 seater stadium acting as big incentives in the transfer market.
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