West Ham United and Southampton are still watching Jovane Cabral closely amid uncertainty about whether he will sign a new contract at Sporting Lisbon, according to A Bola.
One of Portuguese football’s giants have a history when it comes to cashing in on their most exciting academy graduates.
But, after catching the eye during an impressive breakthrough campaign in 2019/20, Sporting are determined to tie Jovane down to a new contract – even if his current deal still has three years to run.
A Bola claims Sporting could offer the Cape Verde international fresh terms until 2025, complete with a £90 million release clause (O Jogo).
His current clause stands at about £55 million.
So West Ham and Southampton will have to strike as soon as possible before Jovane moves well out of their financial reach.
A Bola adds the Premier League pair showed an interest in Cabral in the summer and are continuing to monitor the winger, with the window due to open again in less than two months.
It remains to be seen what West Ham’s plans would be for Jovane.
After all, the Hammers have already signed a left winger who prefers to cut inside on to his right foot in the shape of Said Benrahma. Then again, Jovane has played in a new centre-forward position in four of his five Primeira Liga appearances in 2020/21.
Perhaps West Ham see him as an alternative to Michail Antonio, with Sebastien Haller continuing to underwhelm in the English top flight.
As it stands, Sporting would demand a cash sum of £23 million for Jovane (A Bola).
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