Hammers’ ambitious bid to end in disappointment.
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West Ham look set to miss out on their ambitious bid to sign Benfica striker Oscar Cardozo, with talkSPORT reporting that Barcelona are keen to sign him.
The 30-year-old has an impressive record of 105 goals in 160 appearances for the Portuguese side, and has been linked with moves to several top clubs this summer after another impressive campaign last year.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has had his eye on some big-name striker targets already this summer, and is still chasing the signing of Juventus forward Fabio Quagliarella to partner £15million signing Andy Carroll upfront.
However, Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino has identified Paraguayan international Cardozo as the perfect solution to his problems upfront, as he is still short of options following the sale of David Villa to Atletico Madrid.
Cardozo could be available for £13million after a fall-out with Benfica manager Jorge Jesus at the end of last season, and Zenit St Petersburg and Lyon have also been monitoring his situation.
Benfica have had several players linked with moves away this summer, with the likes of Nicolas Gaitan and Nemanja Matic in particular attracting strong interest from Manchester United.