West Ham United are reportedly keen on Benfica’s Ljubomir Fejsa.
According to The Mirror, West Ham’s concerns over a deal for Sporting CP’s William Carvalho means that Slaven Bilic could instead move for Benfica’s Ljubomir Fejsa.
The Hammers were thrashed 4-0 at Manchester United on Sunday, as summer additions Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez couldn’t prevent a hammering at Old Trafford.
Benfica midfielder Ljubomir Fejsa
With just over two weeks to go until the transfer deadline, West Ham may now be forced to dip back into the transfer market for another addition, with manager Slaven Bilic seemingly prioritising the addition of a powerful midfielder.
The Mirror report that a deal for Sporting CP star William Carvalho is in danger of falling through after the Portuguese giants attempted to raise the asking price at the last minute, leaving West Ham to look for alternatives – but they could still stay in Portugal.
It’s claimed that Bilic is lining up Benfica’s Ljubomir Fejsa as a possible alternative, having witness the Serbian international thrive in Portugal since a 2013 move from Greek giants Olympiakos.
Fejsa, 29, has remarkably won the league title with his club in each of the last nine seasons, with title wins with Partizan Belgrade, Olymipakos and now Benfica, meaning West Ham would be adding a serial winner.
A strong and hard-working holding midfielder, Fejsa is one of the more underrated players in Europe, but he would bring battling qualities to a West Ham midfield that struggled to cope with Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic on Sunday.
The report notes that Tottenham tracked Fejsa earlier this summer, but at 29, he doesn’t exactly fit the bill of a Tottenham signing under Mauricio Pochettino, as Spurs tend to focus on youth and potential over proven quality and experience – but West Ham could be a potential landing spot if the Carvalho deal falls through.
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