Everton and West Ham to lock horns in bid to land Porto midfielder Yacine Brahimi

Premier League duo Everton and West Ham are set to battle it out for the signature of Porto midfielder Yacine Brahimi, according to Portuguese outlet A Bola.

The 27-year-old moved to the Portuguese heavyweights back in 2014 after a short spell at Granada, and has proved his worth to the side since then with 29 goals and 24 assists in 117 games for the club.

31 of those 117 matches came this term as Brahimi helped Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to second place in the Primeira Liga, albeit six points behind champions Benfica, who in turn clinched their fourth successive league crown.

However, recent reports suggest that Algeria international may have played his last game for Porto, as Ronald Koeman’s Everton and Slaven Bilic’s West Ham are reportedly considering a summer move for the 27-year-old.

The Hammers were unable to replicate their stunning seventh place finish in the Premier League in the 2015/16 campaign last time out, managing just 11th place, and much of that was down to the sale of star man Dimitri Payet, and the lack of goals from the forward players.

And the Toffees replaced the East London outfit as the seventh best side in the country last season, but will look in the summer at how they can bridge that nine-point gap to the top six in the division, and look to sustain a challenge to them next term.

And a player of the calibre of Brahimi would certainly improve both squads in their respective aims next season, but whether they can get the better of one another to land the £15.3 million-rated midfield sensation (as per Transfermarkt) this summer very much remains to be seen.