West Ham United have suffered a major blow in the race to sign Tottenham midfielder Moussa Dembele, reports Joe Short of the Daily Express.
The Belgian has been valued by the North London club at a price of £15million – rising by £3m, in an attempt to cool down interest from the Hammers.
Fellow Premier League sides Chelsea and Sunderland are also reportedly interested in the attacking midfielder, who started Spurs’ season opener away to Manchester United.
The 28-year-old has been at White Hart Lane since the summer of 2012, having made the move over from London rivals Fulham.
Dembele has five goals in 118 appearances for the Lilywhites, and could perhaps be deemed as an alternative to Alex Song, with the latter set to miss out on a move to the Boleyn Ground.
However, manager Mauricio Pochettino is said to be willing to let the international depart, in spite of the player still having two years left on his current contract.
