West Ham plot swoop for 23-year-old Championship player if they miss out on Carvalho - report

By Harvey Byrne

West Ham are plotting a swoop for young Sunderland midfielder Didier Ndong if they miss out on on Sporting Lisbon's William Carvalho, according to a report.

The Independent have claimed on their website that the Hammers are getting frustrated in their talks with Sporting over Carvalho with the Portuguese giants moving the goalposts on their demands as they are now asking for a huge £36.5million from the east Londoners.

This has led to Slaven Bilic's side looking elsewhere and it is said that Ndong, who is currently plying his trade in the England Championship is the player identified.

Ndong was part of the Sunderland team that suffered relegation last season, playing 31 times in the league, returning one goal and one assist.

However, he is still considered to be a key part of Simon Grayson's side and the 18-time capped Gabon international has played the full 90 minutes in all six of their opening games in both the league and cup.

Ndong is still contracted to the Black Cats until 2021, but he is also reported to be ready to move south to secure a return to the Premier League.

Football Insider verdict:

Ndong is a clear level below Carvalho's quality and if West Ham are serious about moving for the Sunderland man if they miss out on the Portugal international then supporters will be very disappointed. However, this could also be a ploy by the Hammers in the media to voice to Sporting Lisbon that they are ready to move away from Carvalho if they keep messing around with the fee. But, if one thing is for certain in this story then it's that West Ham fans will be severely disappointed if the club end up with Ndong instead of Carvalho at the end of the summer window.

In other West Ham transfer news, a Hammers insider has provided the latest on the Hammers' pursuit of Carvalho.

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