West Ham United have joined Queens Park Rangers in pursuit of the France midfielder Mathieu Valbuena, with both clubs having opened negotiations with Marseille over a potential £6.5m move to London.
Valbuena was a regular starter in Didier Deschamps’ France side for the summer’s World Cup finals and boasts 37 caps for his country, but will leave the Stade Vélodrome this summer with Marseille’s new manager, Marcelo Bielsa, having accepted the 29-year-old is intent on departing despite being under contract until 2017. Terms had been agreed with Dynamo Moscow, only for Valbuena to reject the chance to move to Russia.
Instead the diminutive playmaker is likely to choose between the two London clubs offering him an opportunity in the Premier League, with West Ham’s late interest now challenging that of newly promoted QPR.
Both have offered personal terms to Valbuena with discussions now under way between the clubs over the size of the fee.
West Ham are also close to securing the Arsenal full-back Carl Jenkinson on a season-long loan deal after he rejected the chance to move to Hull City on a permanent basis.