West Ham eyeing £52m attacker once compared to Lionel Messi

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West Ham United have reportedly set their sights on Sporting Lisbon’s Marcus Edwards this month.

According to The Guardian, the 25-year-old attacker is a player of interest for Hammers boss David Moyes.

West Ham currently have a personnel crisis in attack, with four key players all unavailable at present.

Michail Antonio is out for up to six weeks with a knee injury and Jarrod Bowen is sidelined for at least a fortnight with an ankle issue.

In addition, Lucas Paqueta could be out for two months with a calf injury and Mohammed Kudus is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Ghana.

With all this in mind, the Hammers have revised their transfer plans and are now urgently chasing a new forward, according to the report.

As well as Edwards, West Ham have reportedly set their sights on Ajax’s Steven Bergwijn, Sunderland’s Jack Clarke, and Paris Saint-Germain’s Hugo Ekitike.

West Ham target Marcus Edwards deemed ‘extraordinary’

Edwards is a player very well known to West Ham’s London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. He came through the ranks at Spurs and was tipped for a huge future.

Mauricio Pochettino likened the youngster to Lionel Messi and backed him to potentially become a top player.

Meanwhile, Spurs defender Pedro Porro – who played alongside Edwards at Sporting – called him “extraordinary”.

However, Edwards ended up making just one senior appearance for the north Londoners, subsequently joining Portuguese outfit Vitoria de Guimaraes.

From there, he went on to Sporting and has made a name for himself as one of the Primeira Liga’s top stars.

Edwards has made 91 competitive outings for the Portuguese capital outfit, registering 21 goals and 22 assists in the process.

He reportedly has a €60million (around £52million) release clause. While this means Sporting wouldn’t stand in his way, it is quite a steep fee, particularly when having to consider FFP in January.

Let’s see what happens in the coming weeks. West Ham may well consider making enquiries over Edwards, maybe even try to negotiate a price, though it’s easier said than done mid-season.