West Ham are keen to bolster their midfield options in the January transfer window and David Moyes has sent representatives to watch a pair of targets in action in recent days.
Reports from Sport Witness state that the Hammers sent scouts to watch Sporting Lisbon duo Rodrigo Battaglia and William Carvalho in action against rivals Benfica, in a game that finished as a 1-1 draw.
Carvalho was involved in a dramatic saga with the East London side last summer, which led to a war of words between the two sides, but those issues have now been left in the past and West Ham are hopeful of completing a deal with their Portuguese counterparts.
However, Sporting are determined to keep Carvalho this month, with a deal in the summer more likely, and that makes Battaglia a more likely target for the Hammers in the mid-season window- though they could face competition, as it’s stated a number of clubs also had scouts present.
Neither of the West Ham targets played particularly well in the 1-1 draw, with both misplacing passes throughout and Battaglia conceding a late penalty for handball, which was dispatched to ensure that the points were shared.
