West Ham are believed to be eyeing up a move for Club Brugge midfielder Hans Vanaken, according to Belgian outlet Voetbal24.
The report claimed that the Hammers are considering a £13m move for the 28-year-old attacking midfielder in January as David Moyes looks to bolster his threadbare central midfield options. In a potential boost to the Irons’ prospects of striking a deal, the player is thought to be keen on moving to the east London club.
Vanaken has recent Champions League pedigree and was named the winner of the Belgian Golden Shoe for a second time earlier this year.
A fully-fledged Belgium international with eight caps, the playmaker has enjoyed a superb start to this season, scoring eight times and supplying six assists in just 24 appearances.
The Club Brugge man is valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, aligned with the reported fee required to prise the midfielder away from the Jan Breydel Stadium.
READ WEST HAM VERDICT
Central midfield is one of the major areas earmarked to be in need of additional depth in the upcoming transfer window. Both Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek have played every minute for West Ham in the Premier League this season and have only been supplemented by Mark Noble on one occasion.
None of those three are regular goal contributors to the Hammers, with Soucek the most threatening in an attacking sense, much of which comes aerially.
Therefore, Vanaken’s knack for grabbing goals from midfield would be a welcome addition to the West Ham ranks.
