West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has revealed that the Hammers are still interested in a potential deal for Besiktas star Gokhan Tore.
Tore was in fine form for the Black Eagles last season, chipping in with an eye-catching nine goals and 11 assists as he propelled the Turkish giants to the Europa League quarter-finals and a third-placed league finish.
Tore’s purple patch has continued into the new campaign and his emergence as one of the Super Lig’s hottest properties has not gone unnoticed, with a number of top European clubs, including Arsenal, reportedly vying for the 23-year-old’s signature.
Bilic is a huge fan of the Turkish international after managing Tore during his two-year stint with Besiktas and in an interview with Fanatik magazine, the West Ham boss revealed that the Hammers attempted to tempt the winger to the Boleyn Ground over the summer.
After agreeing terms with West Ham I told the board that I want Gokhan and I strongly believe he would add a lot to the team and be a success in England. The fans would have loved him but it did not happen, we could not agree a deal.
Although The Iron’s were unsuccessful in their efforts to prize Tore away from the Vodafone Arena, Bilic hinted that the Claret and Blues were keen on making a renewed approach for the talented winger in the near future
We made Gokhan an offer over the summer which fell through but it could still go ahead in the future, everything is possible in football.
Besiktas are believed to value Tore, who was on Chelsea’s books as a youngster, at £14.5million and his potential arrival would represent another significant coup for Bilic’s high-flying Hammers, who find themselves sat in third-place after a superb start to the season.
