West Ham have had an £18m offer for Barcelona star Andre Gomes rejected, according to reports from Sky Sports.
Gomes, 25, impressed on loan with Everton in the 2018/19 campaign, appearing 29 times for the Toffees as they finished 8th in the Premier League.
The Portuguese midfielder also garnered reported interest from the likes of Tottenham in addition to the current negotiation between West Ham and Barcelona, with Everton manager Marco Silva repeatedly speaking out in praise of the player’s performances whilst acknowledging potential interest from other Premier League clubs.
The intuitive playmaker is valued by Barca in the region of £25m-£35m, and with two years remaining on his contract at Camp Nou, the Catalan side are likely to cash in on an unquestionably promising asset with a year-long audition in the Premier League under his belt.
Whilst West Ham’s interest is likely to spark a potential bidding war for the Gomes’ services, the Toffees sit as likely favourites for his signature given the club’s financial backing alongside the player’s familiarity with Goodison and Finch Farm.
However, if Tottenham were to launch a bid that fell within the parameters of Barcelona’s asking price, the offer of Champions League football would be likely to sway Gomes to the capital, with Spurs likely to spend this summer following comments from Mauricio Pochettino that could easily be interpreted as an ultimatum to chairman Daniel Levy.
Having earned a move to Barcelona from Valencia two years ago, Gomes will be understandably disappointed to have not nailed down a starting berth at a Champions League club, but his impressive, stylish performances in the 2018/19 campaign may well ignite a bidding war between the Premier League’s best of the rest in the 2019 summer window.
