Report: Hammers £31m bid for striker

Reports claim that West Ham have offered €40m (£31m) to Marseille for Michy Batshuayi but face competition from a host of European clubs including Juventus to sign the Belgium striker this summer.

The Guardian claim the Hammers first attempted to buy him in January but were told he was not interesting in leaving until the end of the season.

The broadsheet say the Irons have now returned with a firm offer which would smash their club transfer record but must now wait to hear whether it will be accepted. Despite Batshuayi insisting last week that he wanted to stay in France, Marseille are understood to be keen to sell the striker they bought for just £4.8m from Standard Liège in 2014 after chairwoman Margarita Louis-Dreyfus put the club up for sale last month. Any deal is likely to be concluded before the end of the month with the player hoping to be selected in coach Marc Wilmots’ Belgium squad for Euro 2016 next week.