news-engine

West Ham push for in-demand £25m striker ahead of Portsmouth showdown as Middlesbrough close in on £34m duo The latest transfer headlines involving Pompey’s Championship rivals. Transfer activity is ramping up as Pompey continue their preparations for the new Championship campaign. Six faces have already arrived through the door ahead of their curtain raiser against West Ham in the Carabao Cup on Saturday, with Odin Bailey, Eoin Kenny, Rocco Shein, Marko Milovanovic, Daniel Bielica and Luke Brooke-Smith all completing switches. The Blues are closing in on several targets, which includes Abu Kamara who is finalising his much-anticipated Fratton Park homecoming. Arrivals on the right-wing are also set to continue, with 17-year-old Chelsea loanee Ryan Kavuma-McQueen also close to penning a season-long loan from Stamford Bridge. As Mousinho primes his squad for the new term, exits are still on the cards, with Ibane Bowat completing his permanent departure on Wednesday - joining Huddersfield Town for an undisclosed fee. Elsewhere, gossip and speculation continues to do the rounds across the division as clubs zero in on their targets. Here are the latest transfer headlines involving the Blues’ second-tier rivals. West Ham push for in-demand striker Pompey, of course, kick-start the new campaign with their first trip to the London Stadium this weekend in the first round of the Carabao Cup. Keiber Lamadrid represents the sole arrival in Nuno Espirito Santo’s ranks so far, with the attacker making his loan agreement permanent from Deportivo La Guaira. That is expected to change, however, with West Ham looking to reinvest those sales into the transfer kitty ahead of the new season. TalkSPORT’s football correspondent Alex Crook has claimed the Hammers are pushing to sign in-demand striker Troy Parrott in what would be a statement signing this window. The 24-year-old is wanted across Europe this summer after an outstanding campaign with AZ Alkmaar, which saw him net 32 goals for both club and country. The Republic of Ireland’s impressive form has alerted a number of clubs, with Ajax, Real Betis, Como, Fulham and PSV all interested in the £25m frontman. But according to the fresh report, West Ham are looking to land the ex-Spurs youth product, who cost the Dutch outfit £6m two-years ago. It remains unlikely, however, that any deal will be completed ahead of Saturday’s showdown against Mousinho’s men in the capital. Middlesbrough summer spending continues Kim Hellberg’s Middlesbrough spending looks set to continue with the double capture of Manchester United’s Radek Vitek and Spurs’ Ashley Phillips. Boro, of course, suffered play-off final misery against HGull City in May and have already completed the signings of Myles Peart-Harris (free), Max Arfsten (£2.25m), Kyle Joseph (£5m), Will Lankshear (£20m), Jeremy Sarmiento (£3.4m) and Sebastian Berhalter (£1.5m). That spending looks set to continue, with the Premier League edging towards a Riverside Stadium switch, according to Sky Sports. Vitek, who enjoyed a brilliant loan spell with Bristol City last term, is expected to arrive in £14m deal from Old Trafford, while Phillips will make the move from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in an agreement which could rise to £20m. This means Hellberg’s side could pay as much as £60m on arrivals this summer as they attempt another Premier League bid next term. The Blues make the trip to the north east on December 19 before the big-spending Boro visit Fratton Park on April 3.