West Ham join Aston Villa in pursuit of 22-year-old midfielder

West Ham United have reportedly become the latest club to want Porto midfielder Alan Varela.

That’s according to a recent report from Fichajes, who claim the defensive midfielder is attracting interest from several Premier League clubs.

Along with the Hammers and Villa, Manchester United are also admirers of the 22-year-old, and while Porto will be in no rush to sell the Argentine, it will become increasingly harder to deny him a move to the Premier League.

Varela’s performances this season, particularly in the Champions League, have seen stock rise with the South American looking set to become the next big thing to come out of Portuguese football.

As for West Ham, the Londoners have a great track record of identifying midfield talent.

The Hammers enjoyed a successful summer transfer window with acquisitions including James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus, all of whom have hit the ground running, so could Varela, who only left Boca Juniors last summer, be David Moyes’ next midfield signing?