West Ham have joined London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham in a battle to secure the signature of Besiktas midfielder Oguzhan Ozyakup, according to website Turkish Football.
The news outlet claim that the Hammers are the latest club to show interest in the central midfielder, who is valued at £13million by his club, but will face a challenge for his signing.
The 24-year-old has also interested fellow Premier League sides Tottenham and his former side Arsenal, where he spent four seasons in their academy before moving to Besiktas.
West Ham have one major advantage in that manager Slaven Bilic coached Ozyakup for two seasons when he was in charge at Besiktas.
He helped the Gunners pick up two Premier Academy League titles, as well as the FA Youth Cup in 2009 alongside current stars Francis Coquelin and Jack Wilshere.
He has helped guide the Turkish giants to back-to-back Super Lig titles over the past two seasons, scoring five goals in 29 league appearances this campaign.
Ozyakup’s contract is set to expire in the summer of 2018, although it is claimed that the club have offered him a new five year deal to remain at the club.
Bilic will know all about Ozyakup’s strengths and weaknesses, having managed the player during his stint at Besiktas before moving to take the helm at the East London club.
However, the Turkish club’s president Fikret Orman has said he would only sell to a major European club, so it would have to be seen whether an approach from West Ham would be accepted.