West Ham are interested in prising Javier Pastore away from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, reports Sky Sports.
Manuel Pellegrini is close to making Fulham right-back Ryan Fredericks his first signing as West Ham manager and is now looking to bolster his offensive options at the club.
Lazio ace Felipe Anderson is on Pellegrini’s radar and now it has emerged the Hammers are interested in Pastore, who has spent the last seven years with the French giants.
Pastore has struggled to stay fit for prolonged periods in recent years and has dropped down the pecking order at PSG as a result.
A lack of playing time ultimately cost the Argentina international a place in Jorge Sampaoli’s squad for the 2018 World Cup and now he is expected to leave PSG.
Pastore has entered the final 12 months on his existing PSG deal and West Ham are keen to secure the 28-year-old’s services in a deal worth £17.5m.
Javier Pastore: Statistically calculated WhoScored strengths, weaknesses and style of play
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) June 1, 2018
For more player stats -- https://t.co/V7ysYFXFCx pic.twitter.com/xIj0H4bwnZ
PSG are under pressure to balance their books in order to meet Financial Fair Play obligations following last summer’s stunning spending spree.
Pastore is one of several players at the club that could be available for suitors and West Ham will not be alone in expressing an interest in the Argentinean creator.
Despite limited to just 1344 minutes of playing time spread across 25 league appearances last season, Pastore still managed a direct hand in nine goals (four goals, five assists).
