West Ham: 'Incredible' £60m Brazilian 'shows the ambition' at London Stadium

West Ham United’s pursuit of Leeds United winger Raphinha ‘shows the ambition’ of the club, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Hammers reportedly saw a bid rejected for the highly-rated 25-year-old during the January transfer window and could return with a fresh offer when the market reopens for business.

With Leeds currently battling to avoid relegation from the Premier League, Raphinha appears to be edging ever closer to the Elland Road exit door.

According to Spanish outlet Sport, Barcelona made an opening offer of €35 million (£29m) for the Brazil international back in March, who is believed to be keen on moving to Camp Nou.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano then revealed that the Catalan giants are ‘in well advanced talks’ with Raphinha’s agent, former Chelsea star Deco.

However, The Mirror claim that a £60m price tag has been placed on the creative talent, with Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Bayern Munich joining West Ham in the pursuit of his signature.

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And Sport have provided a recent update on Raphinha’s situation, stating that the east London outfit have ‘approached the striker again’.

The report claims that West Ham are one of the teams to have ‘shown the most interest’ in the South American star as manager David Moyes looks to add him to his ranks for next season.

O’Rourke believes the competition for Raphinha’s services ‘might be a bit fierce’ for West Ham, but the fact that they are in the running illustrates the level of desire now at the capital club.

He told GiveMeSport: “Challenging in Europe and having a good run in Europe as well in the Europa League, reaching the semis.

“I think competition might be a bit