Rumours persist on Barcelona midfielder

Barcelona’s Andre Gomes has long been linked with West Ham. Rumours first surfaced last Summer under Slaven Bilic and they returned again under David Moyes in the January transfer window. It should come as no surprise they have returned yet again under Manuel Pellegrini who also said to be an admirer like his predecessors.

Last week Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo claimed that West Ham has enquired about the Portuguese international. The report claimed the Chilean manager was ‘insisting’ that West Ham secure the services of the midfielder. The Catalan newspaper claimed that Domingos Quina would be considered in part exchange. Gomes has a release clause of €100m (£89m) but Barca reportedly values Gomes around €30 million (£26.7 million).

The 25-year-old joined the Catalan giants from Valencia in the summer of 2016, for a fee that could eventually rise to £48 million, but he has struggled to establish himself at the Camp Nou and his form has been poor.

Whether there is any real interest from Pellegrini or not, a deal seems unlikely this summer. West Ham has invested over £100m already this summer and forking out another £27m on one player would appear difficult without outbound sales of the same value. A loan with an option to buy could be an alternative but Gomes has injured himself this week in a pre-season friendly and will be out for at least two months.