West Ham to step up Jonjo Shelvey chase with Newcastle clinching Kenedy loan deal
Hammers believe Rafael Benitez could be ready to let Shelvey leave St James' Park in cut-price deal after landing Brazilian from Chelsea
WEST HAM will step up their chase for Jonjo Shelvey now Newcastle have clinched a deal to sign Kenedy.
The Hammers made an enquiry for Shelvey earlier this month but were given the brush-off by Newcastle because they didn't have enough strength in depth in their squad.
Rafa Benitez has now agreed a loan deal for the rest of the season with Chelsea for their Brazilian youngster Kenedy.
And the Hammers believe that will allow Benitez to sanction the sale of England international Shelvey before the transfer window closes.
West Ham manager David Moyes has earmarked midfield as the area in his squad that needs strengthening this month.
Shelvey was one of his first choices along with Stoke's Joe Allen, but early moves for both failed to bring any success.
Since then he has looked to the continent for other options, with coach Stuart Pearce travelling to Belgium this week to make a personal check on Anderlecht's £20million-rated Leander Dendoncker.
Lyon's Clement Grenier has also been watched, with a cut-price £1m possible with the midfielder out of contract at the end of this season.
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But the preference is to bring in players who have proven they are able to perform in the Premier League as Moyes looks to guide his side away from relegation trouble.
That means 25-year-old Shelvey has remained high in the thoughts of Moyes, who has been hit be a series of injuries to his squad.
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Playmaker Manuel Lanzini suffered a hamstring strain in the 1-1 draw against Bournemouth last week.
And the Hammers have been hit by more bad news after learning the strain Marko Arnautovic felt in the same game is worse than the initial knock it had been thought.
With Winston Reid and Michail Antonio already sidelined with similar problems, Moyes is desperately short of senior players.
So the Hammers boss is keen on his board to go out and get some deals done this week if possible to boost his options ahead of the clash with relegation rivals Crystal Palace next Tuesday.