Everton leading race for wanted West Ham midfielder

According to The Mirror Everton are front runners for the signature of West Ham midfielder Pedro Obiang.

After an underwhelming first season in East London the Spain youth international was one of the Hammers’ top performers last time around, finishing second to Michail Antonio in the club’s player of the year award.

The 25-year-old has subsequently attracted interest from the continent from the likes of AC Milan and Sevilla but Ronald Koeman is thought to be willing to trump any offers to bring Obiang to Goodison Park.

It is suggested that a bid in the region of £15m would be needed to force West Ham’s hand, earning the club a handsome profit on the £4.3m they paid Sampdoria in 2015.

The midfielder’s average of 2.8 tackles per game last season was enough to rank among the top ten players in the Premier League - a statistic in which Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye led the way.