West Ham United reportedly sent a delegate to Portugal to keep tabs on three hugely promising talents last week.
Backed with a £100million of new signings, Manuel Pellegrini has helped transform the Hammers this season.
The East Londoners have enjoyed a comfortable campaign playing a much better brand of football.
It has been far from perfect, though. Injuries and a questionable attitude against so-called lesser teams has seen to that.
Hammers heading in the right direction under Pellegrini
But West Ham are heading in the right direction, as evidenced by having the best home record outside of the top six.
And Pellegrini will be looking to build on that with more impressive transfer business this summer.
The Chilean admitted last week he is already making plans for the summer market (whufc.com).
It appears he has his eye on some of the finest young emerging talents in Europe.
West Ham send scouts to watch coveted trio
The Mirror reports that Pellegrini sent a scout to Portugal last week for the Europa League clash between Benfica and Dinamo Zagreb.
The Mirror claims it was to run the rule over coveted trio Ruben Dias, 19-year-old striker forward Jota (pictured above) – who was top scorer at last season’s Under-19 European Championship – and young midfielder Dani Olmo – who joined Dinamo from Barcelona in 2014.
Olmo, 20, (pictured in a battle for the ball with Olmo below) has six goals and eight assists in all competitions this season and just two years left on his contract.
It is good news for West Ham fans that the club is continuing its revamped approach to recruitment.
But they weren’t the only ones
The bad news is that the Hammers were not the only ones in attendance.
According to the report West Ham were one of ELEVEN Premier League clubs at the game such was the talent on display.
Although several of those were there scouting two other players who would be deemed out of West Ham’s reach, Brazilian star Joao Felix and left-back Alex Grimaldo.
West Ham were rumoured to have a base transfer budget of just £25million this summer.
But is that simply a smokescreen? Read the full story here.
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