West Ham join Chelsea and Tottenham in £35m race for Porto striker Moussa Marega
The Hammers are in need of a fresh face up front and are willing to battle their London rivals for Marega's signature
WEST HAM have joined capital rivals Tottenham and Chelsea in the race for £35million-rated Moussa Marega, according to reports.
New Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini wants the Porto attacker to lead from the front as part of his revolution at the London Stadium, but will also face competition from Everton.
The former Manchester City manager has been given a £75m warchest to revitalise West Ham, report .
Lukasz Fabianski, Ryan Fredericks and Issa Diop have been brought to shore up the defence, while they have been linked with Fulham captain and midfielder Tom Cairney.
But Pellegrini sees 27-year-old Marega as the man to fire up their attack, as West Ham bid to challenge for European places.
Only Marko Arnautovic scored more than 10 goals last season, while Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll netted just 11 times between them.
Marega attracted attention last year after 22 goals in 29 league appearances to fire Porto to the Primeira Liga title.
He had previously struggled for goals and game-time but a loan spell at Vitoria Guimaraes saw him kick-start his career at Estadio do Dragao.
While he is able to play out wide, Marega was typically used as part of a two-man front line.
The Mali international's impressive movement and lethal finishing would make him ideal for a misfiring attack, while his 6ft stature still makes him a target from crosses.
