West Ham ready Raphinha transfer bid as Moyes makes Leeds star ‘priority’ target

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Raphinha has lit up the Premier League with Leeds since joining in October 2020 and is now a target for ambitious West Ham

West Ham are keen on a shock raid on Leeds for their Brazilian star Raphinha.

Hammers boss David Moyes wants to bring in more attacking talent this month to help his fifth place side, who are also in Europe.

He has made Raphinha a priority and is trying to clinch the huge transfer before Monday’s deadline with the backing of co-owner David Sullivan.

Raphinha has been a smash hit at Elland Road since joining in October 2020 from Rennes for £17million. He got six goals last term and has another eight this season, plus two assists.

He is under contract at Marcelo Bielsa’s side until 2024 and Leeds are keen to tie him to a new deal. They are offering Raphinha a huge pay-rise in a bid to keep him.

But the Hammers believe they can tempt him to London on an exciting package which includes playing in Europe.

They know it won’t be easy with Raphinha away on international duty with Brazil and he started for them on Thursday against Ecuador in a 1-1 draw.

But Moyes feels now is the time for West Ham to dig deep and show their ambitions as they are on course for another fine season.

He believes the stunning capture of Raphinha would help boost their season after successive Premier League losses.

They return to action in the FA Cup at Kidderminster next Saturday and are in the knockout stages of the Europa League after cruising through a group featuring Dinamo Zagreb, Rapid Vienna and Genk.

The Hammers’ quest for more firepower this window has also seen them consider Czech hot-shot Patrik Schick.

They already have a trio of Czech stars after buying Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal and loaning Alex Kral. Czech billionaire and energy tycoon Daniel Kretinsky also now owns 27% of the East London club.

Bayer Leverkusen frontman Schick is one of the leading options after excelling for club and country.

Defender Kurt Zouma believes West Ham fans “deserve” to see their team playing in Europe “every season”.

The club came sixth last term and are backing it up again this season as they push for glory at home and abroad.

Zuma said: “We can always do better and the rest will help us recover and prepare ourselves. After the break we have to be ready.

“The goal for the season is to be in Europe. I think West Ham deserve to be there every season and we’re going to fight for it.”