LONDON - West Ham
are launching a £25million bid for Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho.
The 25-year-old Portugal international is keen to move to the Premier League but Sporting have previously demanded closer to his release clause of £39.5m.
The Hammers have already spent £40m to sign strikers Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic, but Slaven Bilic needs a quality ball-winner to protect his defence and Euro 2016 winner Carvalho fits the bill.
Hernandez, meanwhile, does not know whether he will celebrate if he scores against Manchester United on Sunday. Manager Jose Mourinho said Hernandez would have scored 20 goals last season if he was still at United.
The 29-year-old replied: "He is one of the best managers in the world and it’s motivating for me that a manager like him can say that."
Meanwhile, Leicester City
boss Craig Shakespeare has told Chelsea that midfielder Danny Drinkwater is not for sale. Chelsea are willing to offer £30million but Shakespeare insisted: "We don’t want to sell our best players." Unsettled star Riyad Mahrez could play at Arsenal - one of the clubs keen to sign him - in Friday's opening Premier League game.
Defender Kyle Bartley has ended speculation about his future by signing a new four-year deal with Swansea City
. The 26-year-old centre back, a reported transfer target for Burnley and Leeds United, where he spent last season on loan, will remain at the Liberty Stadium until 2021.
Tottenham Hotspur
are closing in on their first signing of the summer. Manager Mauricio Pochettino wants Southampton’s £2million-rated Argentinian goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, 25, as back up for Hugo Lloris.
Watford
have completed the signing of Burnley
striker Andre Gray, 26, for a club record £18.5million. The deal came after it was revealed that Burnley boss Sean Dyche barred Gray’s girlfriend, Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock, from sitting in the directors’ box because he did not want to give her special treatment for being famous.
Injured striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 35, has begun talks with Manchester United
over a new contract. United are interested in re-signing the Swede once he has recovered from the knee injury he suffered in April.