West Ham to bid £10m for Soucek’s influential Czech Republic team-mate
West Ham are reportedly poised to launch a £10million bid for Serie A playmaker Antonin Barak.
The attacking midfielder starred alongside Hammers lynchpin Tomas Soucek at Euro 2020 when the Czech Republic beat the Netherlands 2-0 in the Last 16.
The nation went on to be defeated 2-1 by Denmark in the quarter-finals but Barak’s performances reportedly caught David Moyes’ eye.
L’Arena states that West Ham are mulling over whether to bring in the 26-year-old. The club are searching for a number ten with the reacquisition of Jesse Lingard looking increasingly unlikely.
The hope is that Barak may rekindle the bond he has built with countrymen Soucek and right-back Vladimir Coufal on the international stage.
Barak scored seven goals and grabbed four assists in 36 games for Italian top-flight side Hellas Verona last season.
Including his stints at Udinese and Lecce, Barak has played 100 Serie A matches. He has scored 16 times and assisted eight more.
In all, he played three times at Euro 2020; two full games against the Netherlands and Denmark and a three-minute cameo in the 1-1 group stage draw with Croatia.
The former Slavia Prague man has played 23 times for his country, scoring on six occasions.
West Ham move ahead of two Prem rivals in race for £18m Valencia star
Chase for Pereira hots up
Moyes is also considering whether to tempt West Brom midfielder Matheus Pereira to move to the London Stadium.
He has been frozen out of the Baggies squad by new boss Valerien Ismael for poor training effort. There were reports that the Brazilian has even asked to be left out of friendlies as he tries to push for a move away.
Saudi side Al Hilal recently saw a £12.8million bid for Pereira rejected with West Brom wanting around £30million. Now, Leicester and Aston Villa have joined the race for the 25-year-old.
He scored 11 goals and assisted six Premier League goals in 33 matches last season as the Baggies were relegated.
The season prior, he lit up the Championship scoring eight times and providing a huge 20 assists in 42 games.
A look at Virgil van Dijk’s iconic moments for Liverpool, Celtic, Netherlands and more…
The post West Ham to bid £10m for Soucek’s influential Czech Republic team-mate appeared first on TEAMtalk.