West Ham in the hunt with Arsenal and Everton for the signature of Sampdoria midfielder Dennis Praet, according to Calcio Mercato.
The Italian outlet reports on their website that the Premier League clubs are both targeting the enforcer from Serie A, however, his release clause is set to expire in the first week of August – meaning that the duo need to move things along quickly and snap him up while it is still active.
The Belgian midfielder was previously a transfer target of Newcastle, but they failed to match the required £22.2 million release clause of the 24-year-old.
OPINION
West Ham must act quickly if they want to capitalise on their interest in Dennis Praet, as there is not much time left to snap him up for his release clause. They are in need of a central midfielder to add to their abundance of signings so far, and they must beat Arsenal and Everton to land one of Sampdoria’s star players. It is evident that he is a more defensive minded central midfielder rather than an attacking one, which is indicated by the fact that he has only scored one goal throughout the duration of last season. However, the Hammers need a player like this to provide suitable cover to their defence, as they already have brought in a number of attacking midfielders. Despite splashing the cash in this transfer window, they are more than capable of meeting the Belgian’s release clause, but they must not wait until the last minute to pay it.
