West Ham are chasing a January deal for Besiktas midfielder Gary Medel with talks scheduled in the next few days, according to Milliyet.
The Turkish national newspaper report that Manuel Pellegrini is keen on beefing up his midfield and has put aside a ‘serious budget’ towards a deal for Chilean compatriot Medel.
Milliyet claim that the 31-year-old is now a prime target for the Hammers, who will meet with Besiktas officials within days to try and thrash out a deal.
It is said that West Ham want to complete a deal as quickly as possible in order to get Medel up to speed, while a reasonable transfer fee would convince Besiktas to let him leave, with the club currently in financial difficulty.
Good move for West Ham?
Absolutely.
Medel is a defensive midfielder of high calibre and decent experience who would add some serious quality to the West Ham ranks in January.
The 116-cap Chile international has played in the Premier League before with Cardiff, while his move to Inter which followed really took him to the next level as a player.
Obviously he is not young, but his experience would be a huge asset for Pellegrini, who obviously knows Medel well through their Chilean connections.
This is Futbol rating: 9/10
Likely to happen?
It looks like West Ham’s bid to sign Medel is moving quickly, but the validity of the source must be questioned.
The Turkish press is sometimes pretty unreliable, so we must urge caution in getting hopes up over this report.
This is Futbol rating: 3/10