West Ham remain in talks with Paris Saint-Germain over a deal to sign Carlos Soler ahead of next week’s transfer deadline.
The Hammers have already bolstered their squad with eight new first-team signings this summer but just one of those - Guido Rodriguez - has come in midfield and Julen Lopetegui is keen to add to his options following Saturday's opening defeat to Aston Villa.
Soler has been capped 14 times by Spain, but made only a dozen league starts for PSG last term and was an unused substitute in their Ligue 1 opener against Le Havre on Friday.
It is expected that any deal to take the 27-year-old to the London Stadium would be an initial loan, to become permanent next summer.
Meanwhile, negotiations are continuing in a bid to resolve Kurt Zouma’s future, with several clubs in the United Arab Emirates still thought to be interested in the centre-back.
Zouma was on the brink of joining Shabab Al-Ahli last week, only for the move to collapse after he failed a medical.
The 29-year-old, who has been replaced as West Ham captain by Jarrod Bowen, has struggled to stay fit in recent seasons and Lopetegui has made marquee additions at centre-back in the form of Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo.
