West Ham made a move for Portugal international Matheus Nunes earlier this summer, according to a new report.
Record reports that the central midfielder became a target for the Hammers earlier in the window but the Irons were unable to convince him to make the move to London.
The club are reported to have made a bid to sign Nunes, sending a delegation to Portugal to try to negotiate the deal.
The Irons were willing to triple his wages although the bid was reported to be well below the €50m that Sporting were demanding. That equates to £42.2m.
Nunes is said to have rejected the offer, anyway, as he is bidding to join a club who are playing in the Champions League and are competing for the highest honours.
Targeting the 23-year-old does make sense, as the Irons have only signed one midfielder thus far this window: The young prospect Flynn Downes from Swansea City.