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Barcelona are hoping to receive €25million (£22m) for Andre Gomes, per Mundo Deportivo, as Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United monitor the midfielder.
What’s the word?
The Portugal international has spent the season on loan at Everton and the Catalan club are reportedly ready to cash in this summer.
Gomes made 29 appearances in all competitions for the Toffees and has emerged as a target for both Spurs and the Hammers.
He has a contract until 2021 at Camp Nou and has played 78 times for the club, but the report states that he is likely to head back to the Premier League this summer.
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is said to be a fan of the midfielder as he looks to bolster a squad that has finished in the top-four of the Premier League and reached the Champions League final.
But they face competition from the Irons, who have also entered the bidding. A separate report claims that West Ham have already tabled an offer worth £18m, which has been rejected.
Everton, too, are said to be keen on securing his signature but Barcelona have no obligation to sell the player to the Toffees.
A battle West Ham have to win
West Ham’s need is far greater than Tottenham’s.
The Hammers need to refresh their midfield with new blood, having relied on the ageing legs of Mark Noble for too long.
Spurs have the likes of Dele Alli, Harry Winks, Christian Eriksen, Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier, plus the emerging Oliver Skipp, in the position and are flooded with both depth and quality.
A £22m swoop for Gomes would be a fine jumping off point for Spurs’ summer but he is hardly the headline-grabbing name that they truly need to climb to the next level; for West Ham, though, he could be.
His experience is indispensable and he could help Declan Rice mature into the player so many Hammers fans hope that he will be.
West Ham simply need to win this bidding war.
