Portuguese marksman will cost the Hammers £6.5m to buy though.
Check in to Transfer Window: Done Deal Alerts
Highly rated FC Porto front man Silvestre Varela has welcomed West Ham United’s interest in him, according to reports in the Daily Mail.
The Hammers are said to currently be keeping close tabs on the powerful Portugal international, with head coach Sam Allardyce understood to be keen on pairing the forward up front with new club-record signing Andy Carroll at Upton Park next season.
The 28-year-old has been with the Portuguese giants for the past four years now, initially making a good impression with his goalscoring abilities, only for Varela to then break his fibula in training in March 2010.
When Varela did eventually return to full fitness in the following campaign, he found that he had lost his first-team place under new Porto boss Vitor Pereira, although that did not stop Portugal national coach Paolo Bento for selecting the attacker in his squad for Euro 2012 that is.
And Varela caught the eye in Poland and Ukraine when coming off the bench as a second-half substitute to net a dramatic winner in his country’s 3-2 win over Denmark in the group stages.
If Allardyce does want to get his man this summer, then he will need to beat Turkish giants Besiktas to his signature, with the Istanbul club having already had one offer of £5 million for Varela rejected by his club, who are seeking a fee of £6.5m for the Portuguese.
However, Varela has since welcomed West Ham’s interest in him, saying: “To be linked with a club who value me is a good sign. It is pleasing to hear that.”