West Ham United are now in the running to sign James McCarthy from Crystal Palace, the Daily Mail report.
McCarthy’s contract with Palace runs down in the summer, which has led to a host of teams trying to sign him.
The 30-year-old is now said to be on West Ham’s radar, with David Moyes’s ‘monitoring developments’ with the midfielder.
It’s fair to say that McCarthy may not be the most exciting of transfer targets for the Hammers.
But, on a free transfer, he could offer West Ham a value for money option and add depth in their midfield department.
The Irishman, who has been hailed as ‘top class’ by Palace boss Roy Hodgson (Football London), is combative and proven at Premier League level.
Moyes surely wouldn’t bring McCarthy in to be anything more than a squad player, and even in those circumstances his arrival would likely be a fairly divisive one.
But Craig Dawson has proven his worth this season, after his initial arrival was fairly unpopular.
And McCarthy would surely be looking to have the same sort of impact, if he was to join West Ham.
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